Silicon stable isotope distribution traces Southern Ocean export of Si to the eastern South Pacific thermocline

• Published in: Biogeosciences
• Main Authors: G. F. de Souza, B. C. Reynolds, G. C. Johnson, J. L. Bullister, B. Bourdon
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2012
• Subjects: Ecology; QH540-549.5; Life; QH501-531; Geology; QE1-996.5; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Pacific; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-4199-2012; https://doaj.org/article/ba59b91c80204bdf86327bd7538f7977

The cycling and transport of dissolved silicon (Si) in the ocean may be traced by its stable isotope composition, δ 30 Si. We present a dataset of δ 30 Si values along 103° W in the eastern South Pacific Ocean, ranging from the Antarctic Zone of the Southern Ocean (62° S) to the equatorial Pacific (12° S). At high southern latitudes, the uptake and associated isotope fractionation of Si by diatoms results in highly elevated δ 30 Si values (up to +3.2‰) in the summer mixed layer. High δ 30 Si values (+2‰) are also preserved in the high-latitude fossil winter mixed layer, documenting the efficient export of diatom opal beyond the maximum depth of winter convection. This elevated winter mixed layer δ 30 Si signature is introduced into the ocean interior by the subduction of Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), whose northward spreading results in a strong isopycnal control on lower-thermocline and intermediate δ 30 Si values in the well-ventilated eastern South Pacific. Values of δ 30 Si are strongly conserved along SAMW and AAIW density levels as far north as 26° S, documenting the importance of the export of preformed Si from the surface Southern Ocean to lower latitudes. In contrast, in the equatorial Pacific, depressed δ 30 Si values in the mesopelagic ocean are observed, most likely documenting the combined influence of a North Pacific Si source as well as the accumulation of remineralized Si within the eastern equatorial Pacific shadow zone. At depth, δ 30 Si values in the South Pacific remain indistinguishable from deep Southern Ocean values of +1.25‰, even within Si-rich and oxygen-poor deep waters returning from the North Pacific. This homogeneity implies that the dissolution of opal plays a negligible role in altering the δ 30 Si value of deep waters as they traverse the deep Pacific Ocean.