Theory 11/Marine snow/Threshold lens
Export Needs Large Aggregates
The claim
Carbon export occurs above a threshold in aggregate size, because small particles sink too slowly to escape remineralisation.
01Mechanism
Sinking speed rises with size squared while decay is roughly constant; only aggregates above the threshold reach depth.
02Prediction
Export should begin at a size threshold.
03Refutation
Export increasing smoothly with biomass would remove the size term.