Project information
Project aim
Iron deficiency limits phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean. Processes controlling iron availability include uptake into phytoplankton, loss in sinking particles, and recycling by bacteria, but there is little information on the iron contents of these materials. Novel methods will be applied to collect and analyse iron in Southern Ocean particles. The results will be used to aid our understanding of the role of iron in structuring ocean ecosystems, thereby mediating carbon transfer to the deep sea and influencing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Related publications
-
Modern sampling and analytical methods for the determination of trace elements in marine particulate material using magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2010
(Ref: 14827)
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
Trace elements often limit phytoplankton growth in the ocean, and the quantification of particulate forms is essential to fully understand their biogeochemical cycling. There is presently a lack of reliable measurements on the trace elemental content of marine particles…