Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Continental margin sediments provide a potentially large but poorly constrained source of dissolved iron (dFe) to the upper ocean. The Ross Sea continental shelf is one region where this benthic supply is thought to play a key role in regulating the magnitude of seasonal primary production. Here we present data collected during austral summer 2012 that reveal contrasting low surface (0.08 ± 0.07 nM) and elevated near‐seafloor (0.74 ± 0.47 nM) dFe concentrations. Combining these observations with results from a high‐resolution physical circulation model, we estimate dFe efflux of 5.8 × 10 7 mol yr −1 from the deeper portions (>400 m) of the Ross Sea continental shelf; more than sufficient to account for the inferred “winter reserve” dFe inventory at the onset of the growing season. In addition, elevated dFe concentrations observed over shallower bathymetry suggest that such features provide additional inputs of dFe to the euphotic zone throughout the year.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1002/2014gl061684
Language: English
Subfield: Oceanography
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: Collaborative Research: Impact of Mesoscale Processes on Iron Supply and Phytoplankton Dynamics in the Ross Sea, G4199280917, Collaborative Research: Global Ocean Survey of Dissolved Iron and Aluminum and Aerosol Iron and Aluminum Solubility Supporting the CLIVAR Repeat Hydrography Project (2007-2009)., Collaborative Research: Impact of Mesoscale Processes on Iron Supply and Phytoplankton Dynamics in the Ross Sea
OpenAlex ID: W1849030221