Marine dissolved organic carbon: Are the older values correct?

Guided by methods comparisons involving many analysts, the measurement of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in seawater by high temperature combustion methods has been re-evaluated. Results from re-evaluation and the most recent publications using DOC data show deep water values generally similar to those reported in past decades. The similarity of the numbers have caused some oceanographers to question whether the DOC measurements now confirm earlier ideas of little or no biological reactivity below the immediate surface of the ocean. A careful assessment of the most recent analyses and re-assessment of earlier works shows distinct differences between the published conclusions from the earlier works and the interpretations made with the most modern DOC data. With accurate and precise modern analyses, it is possible to document significant differences in the DOC pool in the ocean at concentrations important to microbiological and global elemental flux studies.