Hawkings, JR, Benning, LG, Raiswell, R et al. (7 more authors) (2018) Biolabile ferrous iron bearing nanoparticles in glacial sediments. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 493. pp. 92-101. ISSN 1385-013X
Abstract
Glaciers and ice sheets are a significant source of nanoparticulate Fe, which is potentially important in sustaining the high productivity observed in the near-coastal regions proximal to terrestrial ice cover. However, the bioavailability of particulate iron is poorly understood, despite its importance in the ocean Fe inventory. We combined high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy to investigate the abundance, morphology and valence state of particulate iron in glacial sediments. Our results document the widespread occurrence of amorphous and Fe(II)-rich and Fe(II)-bearing nanoparticles in Arctic glacial meltwaters and iceberg debris, compared to Fe(III)-rich dominated particulates in an aeolian dust sample. Fe(II) is thought to be highly biolabile in marine environments. Our work shows that glacially derived Fe is more labile than previously assumed, and consequently that glaciers and ice sheets are therefore able to export potentially bioavailable Fe(II)-containing nanoparticulate material to downstream ecosystems, including those in a marine setting. Our findings provide further evidence that Greenland Ice Sheet meltwaters may provide biolabile particulate Fe that may fuel the large summer phytoplankton bloom in the Labrador Sea, and that Fe(II)-rich particulates from a region of very high productivity downstream of a polar ice sheet may be glacial in origin.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | glaciers; Arctic; iron; biological pump; export-productivity; sediment |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Earth Surface Science Institute (ESSI) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NERC NE/J022365/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 30 Apr 2018 11:39 |
Last Modified: | 06 Jul 2018 10:16 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.epsl.2018.04.022 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:130215 |