Antarctica’s Dry Valleys: A potential source of soluble iron to the Southern Ocean?

The soluble iron content and dust emission potential of sediment samples collected from the Taylor Valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) and sea ice in the McMurdo Sound were evaluated to determine whether inputs to the Southern Ocean may be sufficient to affect ocean productivity. Our results sh...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bhattachan, Abinash, Wang, Lixin, Miller, Molly F., Licht, Kathy J., D'Odorico, Paolo
Other Authors: Department of Earth Sciences, IU School of Science
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: AGU 2015
Subjects:
Antarctica
soluble iron
Southern Ocean
McMurdo Dry Valleys
McMurdo Sound
Taylor Valley
Antarc*
Sea ice
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1805/6698
Description
Summary:The soluble iron content and dust emission potential of sediment samples collected from the Taylor Valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) and sea ice in the McMurdo Sound were evaluated to determine whether inputs to the Southern Ocean may be sufficient to affect ocean productivity. Our results show that the dust-generating potential from the MDVs soils are comparable to those of sediments from other major dust sources in the Southern Hemisphere. Sediments from the MDVs and sea ice are one order of magnitude richer in soluble iron than those in other dust sources in the Southern Hemisphere. Forward trajectory analyses show that the dust from the MDVs is likely to be deposited in the Southern Ocean. These results provide evidence of the possible supply of soluble iron to the Southern Ocean associated with dust transport from the MDVs, should climate change expand the exposed areas of the continent.

Similar Items