Particulate organic matter (POM) distribution in the water column as on several cruises determined after filtration onto pre-combusted, acid-washed GF/F filters (Franz et al., 2012a). Particulate organic phosphorus (POP) collected on GF/F filters was determined colorimetrically.Samples for phytoplankton pigment concentrations were collected by filtration of seawater from the CTD/rosette through GF/F filters, and stored at -80°C immediately after filtration. Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and Coomassie stainable particles were filtered under low pressure (< 150 mbar) onto 25 mm Nuclepore membrane filters (0.4 μm pore size, Whatman Ltd.) and stained with Alcian Blue and Coomassie Brilliant Blue, respectively. Export flux of was characterized using surface-tethered sediment traps (Engel et al., 2017), with Particle Interceptor-Traps (PIT) following Knauer et al. (1979).