Trace metal partitioning in the top meter of the ocean

Understanding the biogeochemical cycles and distribution of trace elements in the marine environment is one of the main challenges in chemical oceanography. We describe herein the trace metal composition of the uppermost surface ocean of various oceanographic regions (Arctic and Southern Oceans, sub...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science of The Total Environment
Main Authors: Tovar-Sánchez, Antonio, González-Ortegón, Enrique, Duarte, Carlos M.
Other Authors: European Commission, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Elsevier 2019
Subjects:
Trace metals
Surface-ocean
Sea surface microlayer
Aerosol deposition
Ice
Arctic
Antarctic
Antarc*
International Polar Year
IPY
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/210118
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.315
https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000780
https://doi.org/10.13039/501100004837
Description
Summary:Understanding the biogeochemical cycles and distribution of trace elements in the marine environment is one of the main challenges in chemical oceanography. We describe herein the trace metal composition of the uppermost surface ocean of various oceanographic regions (Arctic and Southern Oceans, subtropical Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea). Our results show that trace metals in the top meter of the ocean are found in two clearly differentiated layers according to metal abundance and stoichiometry, namely the surface microlayer (SML) and its underlying subsurface water (SSW). Although metal concentrations in the subsurface dissolved fractions vary regionally and globally, it shows a singular metal stoichiometric signature. This work emphasizes the need to study of the SML as unique compartment to improve our understanding of the biogeochemical cycle of trace metals in the surface ocean, especially for metals, such as Pb, Fe and Cu, which are abundant in the SML. This research is a contribution to future projects: i) THRESHOLDS project (CTM2005-24238-E) funded by the EU-FP6; ii) ATOS project, funded as part of the Spanish contribution to the International Polar Year (IPY) by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (POL2006-00550/CTM). This project is a contribution to the GEOTRACES cluster of the IPY; iii) RODA project: funded by the Spanish MEC National Plan (CTM2004-06842-C03-02/MAR); Financial support to E. G-O was given by CEI-MAR.

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