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Testing the iron hypothesis in ecosystems of the equatorial Pacific Ocean

Nature volume 371, pages 123–129 (1994)Cite this article

Abstract

The idea that iron might limit phytoplankton growth in large regions of the ocean has been tested by enriching an area of 64 km2 in the open equatorial Pacific Ocean with iron. This resulted in a doubling of plant biomass, a threefold increase in chlorophyll and a fourfold increase in plant production. Similar increases were found in a chlorophyll-rich plume down-stream of the Galapagos Islands, which was naturally enriched in iron. These findings indicate that iron limitation can control rates of phytoplankton productivity and biomass in the ocean.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. J. H. Martin: Deceased

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, PO Box 450, Moss Landing, California, 95039-0450, USA

    K. H. Coale, K. S. Johnson, S. E. Fitzwater, R. M. Gordon, S. J. Tanner, C. N. Hunter, V. A. Elrod, J. L. Nowicki & T. L. Coley

  2. Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516, USA

    R. T. Barber & S. Lindley

  3. Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK

    A. J. Watson, K. Van Scoy, C. S. Law, M. I. Liddicoat & R. Ling

  4. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, 93943-5000, USA

    T. Stanton, J. Stockel, C. Collins & A. Anderson

  5. Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, 1000 Pope Road, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA

    R. Bidigare, M. Ondrusek, M. Latasa & W. Yao

  6. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida, 33149-1098, USA

    F. J. Millero, K. Lee & J. Z. Zhang

  7. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 160 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove, California, 93950, USA

    K. S. Johnson, G. Friederich, C. Sakamoto, F. Chavez & K. Buck

  8. Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Brookhaven National Laboratories, Upton, New York, 11973, USA

    Z. Kolber, R. Greene & P. Falkowski

  9. Ralph Parsons Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA

    S. W. Chisholm

  10. NASA/GFSC, Wallops Flight Facility, Building N-159, Wallops Island, Virginia, 23337, USA

    F. Hoge, R. Swift & J. Yungel

  11. School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

    S. Turner, P. Nightingale, A. Hatton & P. Liss

  12. Department of Meteorology, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-3150, USA

    N. W. Tindale

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  1. J. H. Martin
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  34. R. Greene
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Martin, J., Coale, K., Johnson, K. et al. Testing the iron hypothesis in ecosystems of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Nature 371, 123–129 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/371123a0

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