Author ORCID Identifier
Deuerling - https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8825-0546
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-1-2015
Publication Title
Geology
Volume
43
Issue
11
First Page
1003
Last Page
1006
Abstract
Due to iron’s role in oceanic primary production, there has been great interest in quantifying the importance of Fe in regions where concentrations are very low and macronutrients, nitrate and phosphate, are available. Measurements of filterable (i.e., <0.4 μm) Fe concentrations in streams from Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, suggest that coastal-zone stream Fe input to the Southern Ocean could potentially play an important role in primary production in nearshore regions. Filterable Fe (fFe) data from streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys were used to represent glacier meltwater that flows through ice-free landscape with the potential of transporting Fe to the Antarctic coastal zone. Estimates of potential fFe flux to the Antarctic Peninsula region using our mean fFe concentration of 10.6 µg L–1 combined with an estimate of ice-free area for the Antarctic Peninsula result in an fFe flux of 1.2 × 107 g yr–1. Although small compared to iceberg and aeolian Fe fluxes, future stream input to the Southern Ocean could increase due to glacier retreat and melting, thus increasing the fFe flux from glacier meltwater streams.
Recommended Citation
W. Berry Lyons, Kelsey R. Dailey, Kathleen A. Welch, Kelly M. Deuerling, Susan A. Welch, Diane M. McKnight; Antarctic streams as a potential source of iron for the Southern Ocean. Geology 2015;; 43 (11): 1003–1006. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G36989.1
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
This is the accepted manuscript of an article published by the Geological Society of America in Geology on November 1, 2015 and can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1130/G36989.1