Effects of natural iron fertilisation by baleen whales and Antarctic krill on the Southern Ocean carbon cycle ...

• Main Author: Ratnarajah, Lavenia
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill; baleen whales; Euphausia superba
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23240633; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Effects_of_natural_iron_fertilisation_by_baleen_whales_and_Antarctic_krill_on_the_Southern_Ocean_carbon_cycle/23240633

Primary productivity in large areas of the Southern Ocean, known as High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) regions, is limited by the availability of a key micronutrient ‚Äö- the trace element iron (Fe). Iron is required for biochemical processes such as photosynthesis and respiration, as well as in the reduction of inorganic nitrogen species. There is growing evidence that marine animals could play an important role in recycling Fe through their diet and subsequent defecation, reviewed in Chapter 1. This dissertation adds significantly to our understanding on the influence of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and baleen whales on the biogeochemical cycling of Fe, and other biologically important trace elements, in the Southern Ocean. The concentration of Fe, and other biologically important trace elements such as manganese (Mn), which is essential for carbon fixation; zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and cobalt (Co) for CO2 acquisition; Zn and Cd for silica uptake by large diatoms; Co and Zn as calcifiers; copper ...