Quantifying the Impact of Atmospheric Deposition on the Biogeochemistry of Fe and Al in the Upper Ocean: A Decade of Collaboration with the US CLIVAR-CO sub(2) Repeat Hydrography Program

• Published in: Oceanography (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 62 - 65
• Main Authors: Grand, Maxime M, Buck, Clifton S, Landing, William M, Measures, Christopher I, Hatta, Mariko, Hiscock, William T, Brown, Matthew, Resing, Joseph A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-03-2014
• Subjects: Marine
• ISSN: 1042-8275
• DOI: 10.5670/oceanog.2014.08

The aerosol deposition of continental material and its partial dissolution in the surface ocean exerts an important control on the distribution of iron and other potentially limiting trace metal (TM) micronutrients in the open ocean. This dust deposition has implications for the regulation of global climate through the coupling of biolimiting TM cycles, marine productivity, and the global carbon cycle. Thus, it is important to determine the locations of dust deposition in the open ocean and to quantify the magnitude and subsequent dissolution of the dust. At present, there are too few dust deposition estimates and solubility measurements in the open ocean to adequately constrain this key source term in global biogeochemical models.