Influence of Asian monsoon and ENSO events on particle fluxes in the western subtropical Pacific

• This is a first report on particle flux in the western subtropical Pacific.
• Particle fluxes in the western subtropics show distinct seasonal variation.
• Strong El Niños suppress biological productivity in the western subtropical Pacific.
• The NECC acts as a barrier to the northward spreading of nutrient-enriched subsurface water.

A time-series sediment trap was deployed from October 2007 to May 2011 in the western subtropical Pacific with the aim of understanding the seasonal and inter-annual variability on particle flux in response to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Total mass fluxes varied from 3.04 mg m−2 day−1 to 31.1 mg m−2 day−1, with high fluxes during February–April and low fluxes during other months. This seasonal variation was also characterized by a distinct change in the CaCO3 flux between the two periods. The marked increase in particle flux during February–April may be attributed to enhanced biological productivity in surface waters caused by strong wind-driven mixing in response to the western North Pacific monsoon system. The 2009/10 strong El Niño was accompanied by a significant reduction in particle flux, whereas the La Niña had no recognizable effect on particle flux in the subtropical Pacific. In particular, in the mature phase of the 2009/10 strong El Niño, the fluxes of organic carbon and biogenic silica decreased by 70–80% compared with those during the normal period, implying that the El Niño acted to suppress biological productivity in surface waters. The suppression of biological productivity during the 2009/10 strong El Niño is attributed to the decrease in precipitation due to the shift in the western Pacific warm pool. This finding is opposite that of other studies of the western equatorial Pacific, where El Niño events were observed to result in an increase in biological productivity and particle flux. The difference in particle flux between the western equatorial and subtropical Pacific is attributed to the regional differences in oceanic and atmospheric circulation systems generated by the strong El Niño.