Glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine CO2 removal
Photosynthesis by phytoplankton reduces partial pressure of CO 2 at the surface of the ocean and is therefore a potential means of action for a marine CO 2 removal technology. Here we study how glacial rock flour may influence photosynthesis in the open ocean. Glacial rock flour is a fine-grained si...
Published in: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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2024
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421/full |
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crfrontiers:10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421 2024-09-30T14:35:59+00:00 Glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine CO2 removal Bendtsen, Jørgen Daugbjerg, Niels Hansen, Jørgen L. S. Novo Nordisk Fonden 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421/full unknown Frontiers Media SA https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Frontiers in Marine Science volume 11 ISSN 2296-7745 journal-article 2024 crfrontiers https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421 2024-09-17T04:12:15Z Photosynthesis by phytoplankton reduces partial pressure of CO 2 at the surface of the ocean and is therefore a potential means of action for a marine CO 2 removal technology. Here we study how glacial rock flour may influence photosynthesis in the open ocean. Glacial rock flour is a fine-grained silicate mineral from the bedrock grinded by the Greenland Ice Sheet and enters the ocean via fjords and coastal waters. It is therefore a natural source of nutrients and trace metals to the ocean. It is easily accessible in large quantities and could be a suitable source for large-scale CO 2 removal. The impact of suspended glacial rock flour was analyzed through 14 incubation experiments with natural phytoplankton communities sampled in the subtropical Atlantic. A significant increase in photosynthesis was found in 12 experiments where variable fluorescence Fv/Fm increased 12% and the average concentration of chlorophyll a increased significantly in comparison with control treatments during a 6-day period. Incubations with glacial rock flour showed a significant uptake of phosphorus whereas the average concentrations of silicate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen increased. Nutrient changes could be explained by increasing phytoplankton and microbial biomass, remineralization of organic matter, and weathering (mobilization) of glacial rock flour. These short time experiments indicated that trace metals from glacial rock flour stimulated phytoplankton growth. Thus, glacial rock flour has the potential to increase photosynthesis and phytoplankton growth, and therefore may be a potential means of action for marine CO 2 removal. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet Frontiers (Publisher) Greenland Frontiers in Marine Science 11 |
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Photosynthesis by phytoplankton reduces partial pressure of CO 2 at the surface of the ocean and is therefore a potential means of action for a marine CO 2 removal technology. Here we study how glacial rock flour may influence photosynthesis in the open ocean. Glacial rock flour is a fine-grained silicate mineral from the bedrock grinded by the Greenland Ice Sheet and enters the ocean via fjords and coastal waters. It is therefore a natural source of nutrients and trace metals to the ocean. It is easily accessible in large quantities and could be a suitable source for large-scale CO 2 removal. The impact of suspended glacial rock flour was analyzed through 14 incubation experiments with natural phytoplankton communities sampled in the subtropical Atlantic. A significant increase in photosynthesis was found in 12 experiments where variable fluorescence Fv/Fm increased 12% and the average concentration of chlorophyll a increased significantly in comparison with control treatments during a 6-day period. Incubations with glacial rock flour showed a significant uptake of phosphorus whereas the average concentrations of silicate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen increased. Nutrient changes could be explained by increasing phytoplankton and microbial biomass, remineralization of organic matter, and weathering (mobilization) of glacial rock flour. These short time experiments indicated that trace metals from glacial rock flour stimulated phytoplankton growth. Thus, glacial rock flour has the potential to increase photosynthesis and phytoplankton growth, and therefore may be a potential means of action for marine CO 2 removal. |
author2 |
Novo Nordisk Fonden |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bendtsen, Jørgen Daugbjerg, Niels Hansen, Jørgen L. S. |
spellingShingle |
Bendtsen, Jørgen Daugbjerg, Niels Hansen, Jørgen L. S. Glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine CO2 removal |
author_facet |
Bendtsen, Jørgen Daugbjerg, Niels Hansen, Jørgen L. S. |
author_sort |
Bendtsen, Jørgen |
title |
Glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine CO2 removal |
title_short |
Glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine CO2 removal |
title_full |
Glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine CO2 removal |
title_fullStr |
Glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine CO2 removal |
title_full_unstemmed |
Glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine CO2 removal |
title_sort |
glacial rock flour increases photosynthesis and biomass of natural phytoplankton communities in subtropical surface waters: a potential means of action for marine co2 removal |
publisher |
Frontiers Media SA |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421/full |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
op_source |
Frontiers in Marine Science volume 11 ISSN 2296-7745 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1416421 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
11 |
_version_ |
1811639171930914816 |