9312826 DEUSER This study will continue time-series particle-flux measurements at depths of 500, 1500, and 3200 m in the Sargasso Sea for three years. The 3200-m series presently extends over 15 years. It is by far the longest series of its kind. Together with the hydrographic time series at nearby Station "S" and with the growing number of JGOFS time-series measurements (BATS) in the immediate vicinity this work will continue to provide a data base on physical, chemical and biological variables in the open ocean. Over the years this time series has demonstrated the existence of temporal variability in the deep ocean, revealed the efficiency of processes removing materials from the surface ocean, and documented many of the effects of those processes on the chemistry and biology of the deep ocean. A search for a successor PI will be continued along with maintaining the series and all associated analytical work as well as identifying the forcing functions of carbon flux to the deep ocean, assessing decade-scale trends in the efficacy of the "biological pump", and monitoring transport of anthropogenic components to the deep ocean.
