Constraints on soluble aerosol iron flux to the Southern Ocean at the Last Glacial Maximum

Conway, T. M. and Wolff, E. W. and Röthlisberger, R. and Mulvaney, R. and Elderfield, H. (2015) Constraints on soluble aerosol iron flux to the Southern Ocean at the Last Glacial Maximum. Nature Communications, 6. p. 7850. ISSN 2041-1723 DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8850

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Abstract

Relief of iron (Fe) limitation in the Southern Ocean during ice ages, with potentially increased carbon storage in the ocean, has been invoked as one driver of glacial–interglacial atmospheric CO2 cycles. Ice and marine sediment records demonstrate that atmospheric dust supply to the oceans increased by up to an order of magnitude during glacial intervals. However, poor constraints on soluble atmospheric Fe fluxes to the oceans limit assessment of the role of Fe in glacial–interglacial change. Here, using novel techniques, we present estimates of water- and seawater-soluble Fe solubility in Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) atmospheric dust from the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) Dome C and Berkner Island ice cores. Fe solubility was very variable (1–42%) during the interval, and frequently higher than typically assumed by models. Soluble aerosol Fe fluxes to Dome C at the LGM (0.01–0.84 mg m−2 per year) suggest that soluble Fe deposition to the Southern Ocean would have been ≥10 × modern deposition, rivalling upwelling supply.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	2015AREP; IA69; weekly list
Subjects:	01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems
Divisions:	01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems 07 - Gold Open Access
Journal or Publication Title:	Nature Communications
Volume:	6
Page Range:	p. 7850
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8850
Depositing User:	Sarah Humbert
Date Deposited:	23 Dec 2015 16:33
Last Modified:	01 May 2016 01:31
URI:	http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/3527

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