Size distribution of aggregates across different aquatic systems around Japan shows that stronger aggregates are formed under turbulence

Abstract Marine aggregates, composed of various particles, play a crucial role in ocean carbon storage. The overall size distribution of the aggregates (number size spectra) is controlled by the balance between aggregation and disaggregation processes. Turbulence has been proposed to facilitate both aggregation and disaggregation by increasing the collision rate of aggregates or sometimes directly tearing them apart. Predominant processes driven by turbulence typically depend on the level of turbulence—relatively weak turbulence is associated with aggregation while stronger turbulence promotes disaggregation. Aggregate strength also plays a key role, as strongly bonded aggregates can withstand turbulence better, leading to lower disaggregation rates. While the relationship between turbulence and aggregate strength has been studied numerically and experimentally, field measurements remain limited. Here, we compare our number size spectra to turbulence intensity from the field measurements across different environmental settings around Japan to determine the effect of turbulence on aggregate strength. We combined measurements from 10 sites with different environmental settings and observed the flatter slopes (higher net aggregation rate) and shifts in the intersection lengths with an increase of turbulence, while strong turbulence is typically linked with disaggregation. Our findings suggested that stronger aggregates are formed under stronger turbulence and the overall population of strong aggregates also increases with an increase of turbulence intensity. We also compared our number size spectra with three other confounding factors (fluorescence, salinity, and aggregate compositions) to confirm the effects of turbulence are dominant in our aggregate dynamics.