Effect of temperature and degradation stage on the sinking velocity of decaying copepod carcasses

The effect of varying temperature on the kinetics of aerobic microbial respiration (a proxy for oxidative carbon mineralization) associated with copepod carcasses was studied in laboratory incubation experiments. Copepod carcasses were produced by exposing female specimens of cultured Acartia tonsa to anoxic conditions for 2 hours. Carcasses were incubated in gas-tight glass vials at 5 different temperatures ranging between 4 and 20°C. The sinking velocity of carcasses of different degradation stage was determined at 3 different temperatures.