Buoyancy and polarity driven accumulation of dissolved organic matter in the sea surface microlayer during a phytoplankton bloom

Abstract. The sea surface microlayer (SML) is only 1–1000 µm thick but resembles a biologically and geochemically very active boundary that modulates the exchange of energy and matter between the ocean and atmosphere. Globally, the SML accumulates up to 200 Tg C yr−1 of organic matter, comparable to sedimentation rates on the oceans' seafloor. Yet, the mechanisms governing the accumulation and transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the SML remain poorly understood. Exposed to rapid changes of physical, biological, and photochemical conditions, the organic matter pool in the SML often shows heterogeneous distribution patterns, and a clear differentiation between SML and underlying water (ULW) is not always captured during in situ observations. In our mesocosm study, we initiated a phytoplankton bloom under controlled conditions, excluding physical influences like currents, waves, and precipitation. We tested three major hypotheses for DOM enrichment and compartmentalisation in the SML: enhanced in situ biogenic production and processing; physicochemical sorting by polarity and buoyancy; and selective degradation. Our results revealed that buoyancy-driven enrichment of DOM in the SML, fueled by local phytoplankton exudates and their subsequent breakdown, is key to DOM accumulation in the SML during and after phytoplankton blooms. Untargeted ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, complemented by functional group analysis via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, showed that carbohydrate-like compounds were particularly enriched in the SML. We also found evidence for accumulation of hydrophobic DOM of biogenic origin, such as lipid-like and protein-derived compounds, but a related polarity-driven compartmentalisation seems to play only a minor role. Moreover, no selective bio- and photodegradation patterns in the SML compared to the ULW took place. We conclude that under exclusively biogenic conditions, sugars and sugar-related compounds are the main drivers of SML compartmentalisation, and we suggest that phytoplankton-induced “carbo-slicks” could be the pioneer stage of a succession of SML organic geochemistry in natural environments.