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Abstract
The speciation of iron (Fe) reaching the ocean, for instance in wind-blown dust and coastal sediments, impacts its bioavailability to phytoplankton and its impact on atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and climate. For dust reaching the Southern Ocean, primary Fe(II) silicates that are physically weathered from bedrock are highly bioavailable compared to more chemically weathered, Fe(III)-rich species, suggesting that weathering in dust source regions impacts the bioavailable Fe supply. However, this phenomenon has not been studied in other important terrestrial Fe sources, where weathering regimes and source geology vary. Here, we use Fe X-ray absorption spectroscopy on marine sediment cores to show that major global dust and sediment sources impacted by high physical weathering contain abundant primary minerals, and thus are overlooked as a source of highly bioavailable Fe globally. Thus, it is important to consider the role of physical versus chemical weathering in Fe fertilization and biotic CO2 cycling.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 10854-10864 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Geophysical Research Letters |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 19 |
Early online date | 11 Sept 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 16 Oct 2019 |
Keywords
- dust
- iron
- physical weathering
- bioavailability
- mineralogy
- carbon cycle
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Dive into the research topics of 'Physical weathering intensity controls bioavailable primary iron(II) silicate content in major global dust sources'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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ICY-LAB: Isotope CYcling in the LABrador Sea
Hendry, K. (Principal Investigator)
1/07/16 → 31/12/21
Project: Research