KM2112 SCOPE-PARAGON cruise, Seaglider 511, Mission 20

The 2021 SCOPE-PARAGON research expedition is a coordinated effort to characterize particle dynamics and remineralization in the upper 500 m of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Despite the importance of particles as key sites of biological activity in an otherwise dilute seawater medium, there remain major gaps in our understanding of the specific processes and organisms controlling particle transformations. The 2021 SCOPE-PARAGON cruise will be directed towards understanding the processes and rates of biological particulate matter transformations (e.g., production, decomposition, sinking) as well as the ecological interactions that occur in association with suspended and sinking particles. These targeted studies of particle dynamics at Station ALOHA will leverage ongoing ecological and biogeochemical modeling efforts in SCOPE.