Regulation of algal blooms in Antarctic Shelf Waters by the release of iron from melting sea ice
TLDR
In this paper, the authors measured iron in the water column and conducted iron-enrichment bottle-incubation experiments at a station in the central Ross Sea (76°30′S, 170°40′W), first, in the presence of melting sea ice, and 17 days later, in ice-free conditions.Abstract:
During summer 1995–96, we measured iron in the water column and conducted iron-enrichment bottle-incubation experiments at a station in the central Ross Sea (76°30′S, 170°40′W), first, in the presence of melting sea ice, and 17 days later, in ice-free conditions. We observed a striking temporal change in mixed-layer dissolved iron concentrations at this station, from 0.72–2.3 nM with sea ice present, to 0.16–0.17 nM in ice-free conditions. These changes were accompanied by a significant drawdown in macronutrients and an approximate doubling of algal (diatom) biomass. Our incubation experiments suggest that conditions were iron-replete in the presence of sea ice, and iron-deficient in the absence of sea ice. We surmise that bioavailable iron was released into seawater from the melting sea ice, stimulating phytoplankton production and the biological removal of dissolved iron from the mixed layer, until iron-limited conditions developed. These observations suggest that the episodic release of bioavailable iron from melting sea ice is an important factor regulating phytoplankton production, particularly ice-edge blooms, in seasonally ice-covered Antarctic waters.read more
Citations
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Phytoplankton Community Structure and the Drawdown of Nutrients and CO2 in the Southern Ocean
Kevin R. Arrigo,Dale H. Robinson,Denise L. Worthen,Robert B. Dunbar,Giacomo R. DiTullio,Michael VanWoert,Michael P. Lizotte +6 more
TL;DR: Data from recent oceanographic cruises show that phytoplankton community structure in the Ross Sea is related to mixed layer depth, and the capacity of the biological community to draw down atmospheric CO2 and transport it to the deep ocean could diminish dramatically if predicted increases in upper ocean stratification due to climate warming should occur.
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PISCES-v2: an ocean biogeochemical model for carbon and ecosystem studies
TL;DR: PISCES-v2 as mentioned in this paper is a biogeochemical model which simulates the lower trophic levels of marine ecosystems and the bio-ochemical cycles of carbon and of the main nutrients (P, N, Fe, and Si) and is intended to be used for both regional and global configurations at high or low spatial resolutions as well as for short-term (seasonal, interannual) and long-term analyses.
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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
glacial-interglacial Co2 change : the iron hypothesis
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a hypothesis that new productivity in today's southern ocean is limited by iron deficiency, and hence the phytoplankton are unable to take advantage of the excess surface nitrate/phosphate that, if used, could result in total southern ocean new production of 2−3 × 1015 g C yr−1.
Journal Article
A massive phytoplankton bloom induced by an ecosystem-scale iron fertilization experiment in the equatorial Pacific Ocean
TL;DR: The seeding of an expanse of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean with low concentrations of dissolved iron triggered a massive phytoplankton bloom which consumed large quantities of carbon dioxide and nitrate that these microscopic plants cannot fully utilize under natural conditions as discussed by the authors.
Journal ArticleDOI
A massive phytoplankton bloom induced by an ecosystem-scale iron fertilization experiment in the equatorial Pacific Ocean
Kenneth H. Coale,Kenneth S. Johnson,Kenneth S. Johnson,Steve E. Fitzwater,R. Michael Gordon,S. J. Tanner,Francisco P. Chavez,Laurie Ferioli,Laurie Ferioli,Carole M. Sakamoto,Paul Rogers,Frank J. Millero,Paul A. Steinberg,Phil Nightingale,Phil Nightingale,David Neil Cooper,David Neil Cooper,William P. Cochlan,Michael R. Landry,John Constantinou,Gretchen Rollwagen,Armando Trasviña,Raphael M. Kudela,Raphael M. Kudela +23 more
TL;DR: Observations provide unequivocal support for the hypothesis that phytoplankton growth in this oceanic region is limited by iron bioavailability.
Journal ArticleDOI
Iron in Antarctic waters
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors test the hypothesis that Antarctic phytoplankton suffer from iron deficiency, which prevents them from blooming and using up the luxuriant supplies of major nutrients found in vast areas of the southern ocean.
Journal ArticleDOI
Importance of iron for plankton blooms and carbon dioxide drawdown in the Southern Ocean
Hein J W de Baar,Jeroen de Jong,Dorothee C. E. Bakker,Bettina M. Löscher,Cornelis Veth,Uli Bathmann,Victor Smetacek +6 more
TL;DR: The iron hypothesis has been tested by small-scale experiments in incubation bottles in the subarctic Pacific2,4 and Southern5-7 Oceans, and by a recent large-scale experiment in the equatorial Pacific Ocean8,9 as mentioned in this paper.
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