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Links between iron input and opal deposition in the Pleistocene equatorial Pacific Ocean

Nature Geoscience volume 5, pages 270–274 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Increases in overall marine primary productivity and export production in high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll regions of the ocean have, particularly during dry and dusty glacial periods, been hypothesized to be linked to the enhanced delivery of iron1. In the modern ocean, iron availability limits production in high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll regions, and may be important in lower-nutrient settings as well2. Here, we assess the relationship between productivity and iron in sedimentary records from the high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll region of the equatorial Pacific Ocean over the past million years. We find strong links between iron input, the export and burial of biogenic silica (opal) and total export production. Our data demonstrate that iron accumulation was more closely tied to the accumulation of opal than any other biogenic component, with high iron input associated with substantially increased opal sedimentation. The strong links between iron and opal accumulation over the past one million years are in agreement with the modern biogeochemical behaviour of iron and silica, and the response of the diatom community to their mutual availablity3,4. Our data support earlier suggestions1 of a biological response to iron delivery over geologic timescales.

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Figure 1: Concentrations of the biogenic components and Fe in core PC72.
Figure 2: Concentrations of Fe versus biogenic components and Ti in core PC72.
Figure 3: Accumulation rates of the biogenic components and Fe in core PC72.
Figure 4: Comparisons of the δ18O-based accumulation rates of Ba, Fe, opal and CaCO3.

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Acknowledgements

We thank R. F. Anderson (Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory) for many discussions over the past years. Research initially supported by US NSF grant OCE9301097 to R.W.M. and M.L.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA

    Richard W. Murray

  2. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Associate Provost for Marine and Environmental Initiatives, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, Florida 34946, 5600 US 1 North, USA

    Margaret Leinen

  3. Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, USA

    Christopher W. Knowlton

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  1. Richard W. Murray
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Contributions

R.W.M. carried out the original Fe analyses8, led and contributed to the writing of the manuscript and made essential and substantive contributions to the intellectual discussions. M.L. made essential and substantive contributions to the writing of the manuscript and the associated intellectual discussions, and supervised the master’s thesis research of C.W.K. C.W.K. carried out the original biogenic opal, CaCO3 and TOC analyses, and made essential and substantive contributions to the intellectual content of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Richard W. Murray.

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Murray, R., Leinen, M. & Knowlton, C. Links between iron input and opal deposition in the Pleistocene equatorial Pacific Ocean. Nature Geosci 5, 270–274 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1422

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