CO2-03: Iron Biogeochemistry
Project Overview This project is evaluating the importance of iron and other trace micronutrient elements in driving Southern Ocean biogeochemical cycles. The research team will map the distribution of dissolved iron in waters south of Australia, fingerprint supply and removal mechanisms, and quantify trace element limitation of phytoplankton growth and community structure in (sub)-Antarctic ecosystems. This project will feed vital information on the prevalence and flux of trace elements into biogeochemical and ecosystem models of the region, thus allowing a prediction of the role of Southern Ocean biology in past and future regulation of atmospheric CO2 through ecosystem control of carbon transfer to the deep ocean. The research will assess the risk and efficacy of proposals to increase carbon sequestration through intentional iron fertilisation of the Southern Ocean. Project Objectives - To determine regional distributions of dissolved iron and selected trace elements and their isotopes (TEIs) in the Southern Ocean, and relate their distribution to environmental and ecosystem conditions.
- To examine the influence of iron (and other biologically important TEIs) on phytoplankton production and community structure in Southern Ocean waters, including characterising the processes that affect iron availability.
- To evaluate the nature and rates of supply (sources), removal (sinks) and internal cycling of iron (and other biologically important TEIs) to/from the upper ocean, particularly in association with aerosols (dust) and sinking particles.
National Collaborators International Collaborators
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