English: The zooplankton-mediated carbon cycle in summer on the high nutrient, low chlorophyll (HNLC) waters around the Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) site
At SOTS, iron levels are relatively low and support a more diverse phytoplankton community, but with lower biomass, which, in turn, affects zooplankton community composition and biomass. The grazing pressure during summer is focused mostly on picoplankton, which leaves large particles for export. Grazing and fragmentation of particles increases nutrient recycling in the upper water column.