Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization
The addition of iron to high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll regions induces phytoplankton blooms that take up carbon. Carbon export from the surface layer and, in particular, the ability of the ocean and sediments to sequester carbon for many years remains, however, poorly quantified. Here we report data...
Published in: | Nature |
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2009
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Online Access: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/24485/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07716 |
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ftuniveastangl:oai:ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk:24485 2023-06-06T11:44:42+02:00 Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization Pollard, Raymond T. Salter, Ian Sanders, Richard J. Lucas, Mike I. Moore, C. Mark Mills, Rachel A. Statham, Peter J. Allen, John T. Baker, Alex R. Bakker, Dorothee C. E. Charette, Matthew A. Fielding, Sophie Fones, Gary R. French, Megan Hickman, Anne E. Holland, Ross J. Hughes, J. Alan Jickells, Timothy D. Lampitt, Richard S. Morris, Paul J. Nédélec, Florence H. Nielsdóttir, Maria Planquette, Hélène Popova, Ekaterina E. Poulton, Alex J. Read, Jane F. Seeyave, Sophie Smith, Tania Stinchcombe, Mark Taylor, Sarah Thomalla, Sandy Venables, Hugh J. Williamson, Robert Zubkov, Mike V. 2009 https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/24485/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07716 unknown Pollard, Raymond T., Salter, Ian, Sanders, Richard J., Lucas, Mike I., Moore, C. Mark, Mills, Rachel A., Statham, Peter J., Allen, John T., Baker, Alex R., Bakker, Dorothee C. E., Charette, Matthew A., Fielding, Sophie, Fones, Gary R., French, Megan, Hickman, Anne E., Holland, Ross J., Hughes, J. Alan, Jickells, Timothy D., Lampitt, Richard S., Morris, Paul J., Nédélec, Florence H., Nielsdóttir, Maria, Planquette, Hélène, Popova, Ekaterina E., Poulton, Alex J., Read, Jane F., Seeyave, Sophie, Smith, Tania, Stinchcombe, Mark, Taylor, Sarah, Thomalla, Sandy, Venables, Hugh J., Williamson, Robert and Zubkov, Mike V. (2009) Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization. Nature, 457 (7229). pp. 577-580. doi:10.1038/nature07716 Article PeerReviewed 2009 ftuniveastangl https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07716 2023-04-13T22:31:25Z The addition of iron to high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll regions induces phytoplankton blooms that take up carbon. Carbon export from the surface layer and, in particular, the ability of the ocean and sediments to sequester carbon for many years remains, however, poorly quantified. Here we report data from the CROZEX experiment in the Southern Ocean, which was conducted to test the hypothesis that the observed north–south gradient in phytoplankton concentrations in the vicinity of the Crozet Islands is induced by natural iron fertilization that results in enhanced organic carbon flux to the deep ocean. We report annual particulate carbon fluxes out of the surface layer, at three kilometres below the ocean surface and to the ocean floor. We find that carbon fluxes from a highly productive, naturally iron-fertilized region of the sub-Antarctic Southern Ocean are two to three times larger than the carbon fluxes from an adjacent high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll area not fertilized by iron. Our findings support the hypothesis that increased iron supply to the glacial sub-Antarctic may have directly enhanced carbon export to the deep ocean. The CROZEX sequestration efficiency (the amount of carbon sequestered below the depth of winter mixing for a given iron supply) of 8,600 mol mol-1 was 18 times greater than that of a phytoplankton bloom induced artificially by adding iron, but 77 times smaller than that of another bloom initiated, like CROZEX, by a natural supply of iron. Large losses of purposefully added iron can explain the lower efficiency of the induced bloom. The discrepancy between the blooms naturally supplied with iron may result in part from an underestimate of horizontal iron supply. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Crozet Islands Southern Ocean University of East Anglia: UEA Digital Repository Antarctic Southern Ocean Nature 457 7229 577 580 |
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Open Polar |
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University of East Anglia: UEA Digital Repository |
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ftuniveastangl |
language |
unknown |
description |
The addition of iron to high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll regions induces phytoplankton blooms that take up carbon. Carbon export from the surface layer and, in particular, the ability of the ocean and sediments to sequester carbon for many years remains, however, poorly quantified. Here we report data from the CROZEX experiment in the Southern Ocean, which was conducted to test the hypothesis that the observed north–south gradient in phytoplankton concentrations in the vicinity of the Crozet Islands is induced by natural iron fertilization that results in enhanced organic carbon flux to the deep ocean. We report annual particulate carbon fluxes out of the surface layer, at three kilometres below the ocean surface and to the ocean floor. We find that carbon fluxes from a highly productive, naturally iron-fertilized region of the sub-Antarctic Southern Ocean are two to three times larger than the carbon fluxes from an adjacent high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll area not fertilized by iron. Our findings support the hypothesis that increased iron supply to the glacial sub-Antarctic may have directly enhanced carbon export to the deep ocean. The CROZEX sequestration efficiency (the amount of carbon sequestered below the depth of winter mixing for a given iron supply) of 8,600 mol mol-1 was 18 times greater than that of a phytoplankton bloom induced artificially by adding iron, but 77 times smaller than that of another bloom initiated, like CROZEX, by a natural supply of iron. Large losses of purposefully added iron can explain the lower efficiency of the induced bloom. The discrepancy between the blooms naturally supplied with iron may result in part from an underestimate of horizontal iron supply. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pollard, Raymond T. Salter, Ian Sanders, Richard J. Lucas, Mike I. Moore, C. Mark Mills, Rachel A. Statham, Peter J. Allen, John T. Baker, Alex R. Bakker, Dorothee C. E. Charette, Matthew A. Fielding, Sophie Fones, Gary R. French, Megan Hickman, Anne E. Holland, Ross J. Hughes, J. Alan Jickells, Timothy D. Lampitt, Richard S. Morris, Paul J. Nédélec, Florence H. Nielsdóttir, Maria Planquette, Hélène Popova, Ekaterina E. Poulton, Alex J. Read, Jane F. Seeyave, Sophie Smith, Tania Stinchcombe, Mark Taylor, Sarah Thomalla, Sandy Venables, Hugh J. Williamson, Robert Zubkov, Mike V. |
spellingShingle |
Pollard, Raymond T. Salter, Ian Sanders, Richard J. Lucas, Mike I. Moore, C. Mark Mills, Rachel A. Statham, Peter J. Allen, John T. Baker, Alex R. Bakker, Dorothee C. E. Charette, Matthew A. Fielding, Sophie Fones, Gary R. French, Megan Hickman, Anne E. Holland, Ross J. Hughes, J. Alan Jickells, Timothy D. Lampitt, Richard S. Morris, Paul J. Nédélec, Florence H. Nielsdóttir, Maria Planquette, Hélène Popova, Ekaterina E. Poulton, Alex J. Read, Jane F. Seeyave, Sophie Smith, Tania Stinchcombe, Mark Taylor, Sarah Thomalla, Sandy Venables, Hugh J. Williamson, Robert Zubkov, Mike V. Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization |
author_facet |
Pollard, Raymond T. Salter, Ian Sanders, Richard J. Lucas, Mike I. Moore, C. Mark Mills, Rachel A. Statham, Peter J. Allen, John T. Baker, Alex R. Bakker, Dorothee C. E. Charette, Matthew A. Fielding, Sophie Fones, Gary R. French, Megan Hickman, Anne E. Holland, Ross J. Hughes, J. Alan Jickells, Timothy D. Lampitt, Richard S. Morris, Paul J. Nédélec, Florence H. Nielsdóttir, Maria Planquette, Hélène Popova, Ekaterina E. Poulton, Alex J. Read, Jane F. Seeyave, Sophie Smith, Tania Stinchcombe, Mark Taylor, Sarah Thomalla, Sandy Venables, Hugh J. Williamson, Robert Zubkov, Mike V. |
author_sort |
Pollard, Raymond T. |
title |
Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization |
title_short |
Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization |
title_full |
Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization |
title_fullStr |
Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization |
title_full_unstemmed |
Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization |
title_sort |
southern ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/24485/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07716 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Crozet Islands Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Crozet Islands Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
Pollard, Raymond T., Salter, Ian, Sanders, Richard J., Lucas, Mike I., Moore, C. Mark, Mills, Rachel A., Statham, Peter J., Allen, John T., Baker, Alex R., Bakker, Dorothee C. E., Charette, Matthew A., Fielding, Sophie, Fones, Gary R., French, Megan, Hickman, Anne E., Holland, Ross J., Hughes, J. Alan, Jickells, Timothy D., Lampitt, Richard S., Morris, Paul J., Nédélec, Florence H., Nielsdóttir, Maria, Planquette, Hélène, Popova, Ekaterina E., Poulton, Alex J., Read, Jane F., Seeyave, Sophie, Smith, Tania, Stinchcombe, Mark, Taylor, Sarah, Thomalla, Sandy, Venables, Hugh J., Williamson, Robert and Zubkov, Mike V. (2009) Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization. Nature, 457 (7229). pp. 577-580. doi:10.1038/nature07716 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07716 |
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Nature |
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457 |
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7229 |
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