Project information
Project aim
This project will assess the importance of the trace micro-nutrient element iron to Antarctic sea-ice algal communities during the International Polar Year (2007-2009). We will investigate the biogeochemistry of iron, including a comprehensive examination of its distribution, speciation, cycling and role in fuelling ice-edge phytoplankton blooms. A significant part of this research will concentrate on the the influence of organic exopolysaccharides on iron solubility, complexation and bioavailability, both within the ice and in surrounding snow and surface seawater. This innovative research will improve our understanding of key processes that control the productivity of the climatically-important Antarctic sea-ice zone.
Related publications
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Organic ligands control the concentrations of dissolved iron in Antarctic sea ice Marine Chemistry, 2015
(Ref: 15549)
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
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Chlorophyll a in Antarctic sea ice from historical ice core data. Geophysical Research Letters, 2012
(Ref: 14830)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
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High temporal resolution observations of spring fast ice melt and seawater iron enrichment in East Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research, 2011
(Ref: 14829)
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
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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…
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Iron fractionation in pack and fast ice in East Antarctica: Temporal decoupling between the release of dissolved and particulate iron during spring melt. Deep-Sea Research II, 2011
(Ref: 14549)
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature