| Fluxes of residual amino acids were determined on samples from two drifting sediment traps deployed at 100 rn water depth in the Bransfield Strait in December 1980. Differences in the absolute fluxes were related to the sources of sedimenting particulate matter. The relative contributions of amino acids to the total flux and the molar composition were similar for both traps. Comparison with published particulate amino acid fluxes indicates that a distinction must be made between high and low production environments. In the former case, 90% of the primary amino acid production is degraded within the upper 100 metres of the water column, whereas in the latter case this zone is extended to approximately 1,000 m. |
