Switching perspectives: Do mineral fluxes determine particulate organic carbon fluxes or vice versa?

It has recently been postulated that mineral material like biogenic silica frustules or carbonate shells as well as lithogenic dust act as ballast material determining particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes below 2000 m in the ocean. However, correlations do not identify cause and effect, and in this commentary it is proposed that on the contrary, POC fluxes determine fluxes of this mineral material. I suggest that during sedimentation marine snow originating from biological activity in the surface layer collect small, non‐sinking mineral particles of biogenic and lithogenic origin until its carrying capacity is reached.