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Ocean chemistry

Fingerprints of a trace nutrient

Nature volume 511, pages 164–165 (2014)Cite this article

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Lack of dissolved iron in the sea limits biological productivity and the uptake of carbon dioxide. The sources of dissolved iron in the North Atlantic Ocean have been identified from isotopic variations of this trace nutrient. See Letter p.212

Iron constitutes 5% of Earth's crust, yet the element is sparse in the vast expanse of the global ocean — every litre of surface sea water contains, on average, less than 20 nanograms of iron1. Despite this, iron has a crucial role in regulating primary production in the oceans (the synthesis of organic matter from carbon dioxide by phytoplankton). On page 212 of this issue, Conway and John2 examine the relative importance of different sources of iron to the North Atlantic Ocean. Constraining the magnitude of the contributions from the various iron sources will allow us to incorporate iron cycling more accurately into global climate models and to better understand its role in regulating oceanic carbon export.

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Figure 1: Saharan dust blows north of the Canary Islands.

Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joseph A. Resing is at the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, and NOAA-PMEL, Seattle, Washington 98115 USA.,

    Joseph A. Resing

  2. Pamela M. Barrett is in the Department of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 USA.,

    Pamela M. Barrett

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  1. Joseph A. Resing
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  2. Pamela M. Barrett
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Correspondence to Joseph A. Resing or Pamela M. Barrett.

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Resing, J., Barrett, P. Fingerprints of a trace nutrient. Nature 511, 164–165 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13513

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