Iron organic speciation during the LOHAFEX experiment: Iron ligands release under biomass control by copepod grazing

The LOHAFEX iron fertilization experiment consisted in the fertilization of the closed core of a cyclonic eddy located south of the Antarctic Polar Front in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. This eddy was characterized by high nitrate and low silicate concentrations. Despite a 2.5 fold increase of the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations, the composition of the biological community did not change. Phytoplankton biomass was mostly formed by small autotrophic flagellates whereas zooplankton biomass was mostly comprised by the large copepod Calanus simillimus. Efficient recycling of copepod fecal pellets (the main component of the downward flux of organic matter) in the upper 100–150 m of the water column prevented any significant deep export of particulate organic carbon (POC). Before fertilization, dissolved iron (DFe) concentrations in the upper 200 m were low, but not depleted, at ~0.2 nM. High DFe concentrations appeared scattered from day 14 onwards as a result of the grazing activity. A second fertilization on day 21 had no significant effect on the DFe and Chl-a standing stocks. Work with unfiltered samples using different acidification protocols revealed that, by midway of LOHAFEX, rapid recycling of iron-replenished copepod fecal pellets explained the source of bioavailable iron that prolonged the duration of the bloom for many weeks. Here we present the evolution of the organic speciation of iron in the upper 200 m of the water column during LOHAFEX by a Competing Ligand Equilibrium method using voltammetry. During the first 12 days of the experiment, ligands of an affinity for iron similar to the ligands found before fertilization (logK′Fe′L~11.9) accumulated in fertilized waters mostly in the upper 80 m (from ~1 nM to ~2.5 nM). The restriction of ligand accumulation to the depth of Chl-a penetration points to exudation by the growing autotrophic population as the initial source of ligands. From day 5 onwards, we found in many samples a new class of ligands (L1) characterized by a significant higher conditional stability constant than the background complexation (logK′Fe′L1~12.9). During the middle section of the experiment (days 12 to 25) the accumulation of overall ligands and specifically L1, reached an upper limit in surface waters (at ~3 nM). Overall ligands and L1 accumulation was also observed below the mixed layer depth indicating that grazing was the process behind ligand release. During the last 10 days of the experiment ligands kept accumulating in deep waters but suffered a small decrease in the upper 50 m of the water column caused by the vanishing of L1. Ligand removal restricted to the euphotic layer was probably caused by photodegradation. A high correlation between [DFe] and [L1] suggested that recycled iron (released during grazing and copepod fecal pellet cycling) was in the form of FeL1 complexes. We hypothesize that the iron binding ligands released to the dissolved phase during LOHAFEX were mostly photosensitive intracellular ligands rapidly degraded in extracellular conditions (e.g.: pigments). Sloppy feeding by copepods and recycling of cells and cellular material in copepod fecal pellets caused the transfer of particulate ligands to the dissolved phase as zooplankton built up as a response to the blooming community

Oxygen deficiency in the north indian ocean Deficiencia de oxígeno en el Oceano Indico norte

The Indian Ocean contains one of the oceans' most pronounced oxygen minimum zones (OMZ), which, anomalously, is the most intense in the northwestern sector (Arabian Sea). It also contains the majority of the area of oceanic continental margins in contact with oxygen-depleted waters. Impacts of the oxygen deficiency on regional biogeochemistry, especially anaerobic nitrogen transformations, are described. A comparison of the perennial, mesopelagic OMZ in the open Northwestern Indian Ocean is made with a shallower oxygen deficient system that develops seasonally (during late summer and autumn) over the western Indian shelf. The latter appears to have intensified in recent years presumably due to anthropogenic nutrient loading from land.<br>El Océano Indico alberga una de las zonas de mínimo oxígeno (ZMO) más pronunciadas, siendo más intensa en el sector nor-occidental (Mar de Arabia). También presenta la mayor parte del área del margen continental en contacto con aguas carentes de oxígeno. Se describen los impactos de la deficiencia de oxígeno sobre la biogeoquímica, especialmente sobre las transformaciones anaeróbicas del nitrógeno. Se realizará una comparación entre la ZMO mesopelágica perenne del Océano Indico nor-occidental y un sistema deficiente en oxígeno más somero que se desarrolla estacionalmente (durante el final del verano y el otoño) sobre la plataforma continental de la India occidental. Este último parece intensificarse en los últimos años debido a la carga de nutrientes antropogénicos provenientes del continent

Vertical Distribution of the Degree of Calcium Carbonate Saturation in the Indian Ocean

213-215Degree of saturation of calcium carbonate as a function of depth has been studied at 3 locations in the Indian Ocean from alkalinity and pH measurements. Surface waters are 4-5 fold supersaturated with respect to calcite. Degree of saturation is maximum within the first 50 m. As the depth increases, the degree of saturation decreases and at about 1000 m the waters become either undersaturated or near-saturated

The nitrogen cycle in the Arabian Sea

Despite their importance for the global oceanic nitrogen (N) cycle, estimates of N fluxes in the Arabian Sea remain in considerable uncertainty. In this report, we summarize current knowledge of important processes, including denitrification, N2 fixation and nitrous oxide emissions. Additionally, we discuss anthropogenic impacts on the N cycle in the region. Existing studies suggest that the Arabian Sea is a significant source of N2O, and a major sink for fixed-N mainly due to enhanced rates of denitrification that occur in suboxic portions of the water column in the Arabian Sea. Sedimentary denitrification is small compared to water column denitrification, and additions of fixed-N via N2 fixation also are small compared to pelagic denitrification. As a consequence, the fixed-N budget of the Arabian Sea is dominated by an advective supply from the south, and by the sink arising from pelagic denitrification. Although relatively small compared to the advective supply, inputs of fixed-N from runoff and from the atmosphere may have significant impacts on surface waters and on the coastal waters of western India, and these inputs are rising because of human activities. Overall, the Arabian Sea’s nitrogen cycle is likely to respond sensitively to climate change and, in turn, have an impact on climate via its N2O and denitrification components