Antarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern Ocean
Abstract Iron is an essential micronutrient for phytoplankton and plays an integral role in the marine carbon cycle. The supply and bioavailability of iron are therefore important modulators of climate over glacial-interglacial cycles. Inputs of iron from the Antarctic continental shelf alleviate ir...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59981-y |
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| author | Rhiannon L. Jones Jon R. Hawkings Michael P. Meredith Maeve C. Lohan Oliver W. Moore Robert M. Sherrell Jessica N. Fitzsimmons Majid Kazemian Tohru Araki Burkhard Kaulich Amber L. Annett |
| author_facet | Rhiannon L. Jones Jon R. Hawkings Michael P. Meredith Maeve C. Lohan Oliver W. Moore Robert M. Sherrell Jessica N. Fitzsimmons Majid Kazemian Tohru Araki Burkhard Kaulich Amber L. Annett |
| author_sort | Rhiannon L. Jones |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Iron is an essential micronutrient for phytoplankton and plays an integral role in the marine carbon cycle. The supply and bioavailability of iron are therefore important modulators of climate over glacial-interglacial cycles. Inputs of iron from the Antarctic continental shelf alleviate iron limitation in the Southern Ocean, driving hotspots of productivity. Glacial meltwater fluxes can deliver high volumes of particulate iron. Here, we show that glacier meltwater provides particles rich in iron(II) to the Antarctic shelf surface ocean. Particulate iron(II) is understood to be more bioavailable to phytoplankton, but less stable in oxic seawater, than iron(III). Using x-ray microscopy, we demonstrate co-occurrence of iron and organic carbon-rich phases, suggesting that organic carbon retards the oxidation of potentially-bioavailable iron(II) in oxic seawater. Accelerating meltwater fluxes may provide an increasingly important source of bioavailable iron(II)-rich particles to the Antarctic surface ocean, with implications for the Southern Ocean carbon pump and ecosystem productivity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3bad5e7cee184466902e294fbc1f24b7 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-3bad5e7cee184466902e294fbc1f24b72025-08-20T02:00:09ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-59981-yAntarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern OceanRhiannon L. Jones0Jon R. Hawkings1Michael P. Meredith2Maeve C. Lohan3Oliver W. Moore4Robert M. Sherrell5Jessica N. Fitzsimmons6Majid Kazemian7Tohru Araki8Burkhard Kaulich9Amber L. Annett10British Antarctic SurveyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Science, University of PennsylvaniaBritish Antarctic SurveySchool of Ocean and Earth Science, University of SouthamptonDepartment of Environment and Geography, University of YorkDepartments of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers UniversityDepartments of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers UniversityDiamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science & Innovation CampusInstitute for Molecular ScienceDiamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science & Innovation CampusBritish Antarctic SurveyAbstract Iron is an essential micronutrient for phytoplankton and plays an integral role in the marine carbon cycle. The supply and bioavailability of iron are therefore important modulators of climate over glacial-interglacial cycles. Inputs of iron from the Antarctic continental shelf alleviate iron limitation in the Southern Ocean, driving hotspots of productivity. Glacial meltwater fluxes can deliver high volumes of particulate iron. Here, we show that glacier meltwater provides particles rich in iron(II) to the Antarctic shelf surface ocean. Particulate iron(II) is understood to be more bioavailable to phytoplankton, but less stable in oxic seawater, than iron(III). Using x-ray microscopy, we demonstrate co-occurrence of iron and organic carbon-rich phases, suggesting that organic carbon retards the oxidation of potentially-bioavailable iron(II) in oxic seawater. Accelerating meltwater fluxes may provide an increasingly important source of bioavailable iron(II)-rich particles to the Antarctic surface ocean, with implications for the Southern Ocean carbon pump and ecosystem productivity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59981-y |
| spellingShingle | Rhiannon L. Jones Jon R. Hawkings Michael P. Meredith Maeve C. Lohan Oliver W. Moore Robert M. Sherrell Jessica N. Fitzsimmons Majid Kazemian Tohru Araki Burkhard Kaulich Amber L. Annett Antarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern Ocean Nature Communications |
| title | Antarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern Ocean |
| title_full | Antarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern Ocean |
| title_fullStr | Antarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern Ocean |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern Ocean |
| title_short | Antarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern Ocean |
| title_sort | antarctic glaciers export carbon stabilised iron ii rich particles to the surface southern ocean |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59981-y |
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