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Marine anoxia initiates giant sulfur-oxidizing bacterial mat proliferation and associated changes in benthic nitrogen, sulfur, and iron cycling...

Full title: "Marine anoxia initiates giant sulfur-oxidizing bacterial mat proliferation and associated changes in benthic nitrogen, sulfur, and iron cycling in the Santa Barbara Basin, California Borderland"

Abstract.

"The Santa Barbara Basin naturally experiences transient deoxygenation due to its unique geological setting in the southern California Borderland and seasonal changes in ocean currents. Long-term measurements of the basin showed that anoxic events and subsequent nitrate exhaustion in the bottom waters have been occurring more frequently [...]".

 

Source: Biogeosciences
Authors: David J. Yousavich et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-789-2024

Read the full article here.


Shallow- and deep-ocean Fe cycling and redox evolution across the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary and Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event in Panthalassa

Abstract.

"The late Pliensbachian to early Toarcian was characterized by major climatic and environmental changes, encompassing the early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, or Jenkyns Event, ∼183 Ma) and the preceding Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary event (Pl/To). Information on seawater redox conditions through this time interval has thus far come mainly from European sections deposited in hydrographically restricted basins, and hence our understanding of the redox evolution of the open ocean (and in particular Panthalassa – the largest ocean to have existed) is limited. [...]".

 

Source: Science Direct 
Authors: Wenhan Chen et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117959

Read the full article here.


Biogeochemical feedbacks may amplify ongoing and future ocean deoxygenation: a case study from the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone

Abstract.

"A new box model is employed to simulate the oxygen-dependent cycling of nutrients in the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Model results and data for the present state of the OMZ indicate that dissolved iron is the limiting nutrient for primary production and is provided by the release of dissolved ferrous iron from shelf and slope sediments. Most of the removal of reactive nitrogen occurs by anaerobic oxidation of ammonium where ammonium is delivered by aerobic organic nitrogen degradation. Model experiments simulating the effects of ocean deoxygenation and warming show that the productivity of the Peruvian OMZ will increase due to the enhanced release of dissolved iron from shelf and slope sediments. A positive feedback loop rooted in the oxygen-dependent benthic iron release amplifies, both, the productivity rise and oxygen decline in ambient bottom waters. [...]". 

 

Source: Biogeochemistry

Authors: Klaus Wallmann et al.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-022-00908-w 

Read the full article here.


Heavy iron in large gem diamonds traces deep subduction of serpentinized ocean floor

Abstract.

"Subducting tectonic plates carry water and other surficial components into Earth’s interior. Previous studies suggest that serpentinized peridotite is a key part of deep recycling, but this geochemical pathway has not been directly traced. Here, we report Fe-Ni–rich metallic inclusions in sublithospheric diamonds from a depth of 360 to 750 km with isotopically heavy iron (δ56Fe = 0.79 to 0.90‰) and unradiogenic osmium[...]"

 

Source: AAAS
Authors: Evan M. Smith et al.
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe9773

Read the full article here.


Iron isotopes trace primordial magma ocean cumulates melting in Earth’s upper mantle

Abstract.

"The differentiation of Earth ~4.5 billion years (Ga) ago is believed to have culminated in magma ocean crystallization, crystal-liquid separation, and the formation of mineralogically distinct mantle reservoirs. However, the magma ocean model remains difficult to validate because of the scarcity of geochemical tracers of lower mantle mineralogy. The Fe isotope compositions (δ57Fe) of ancient mafic rocks can be used to reconstruct the mineralogy of their mantle source regions. We present Fe isotope data for 3.7-Ga metabasalts from the Isua Supracrustal Belt (Greenland). The δ57Fe signatures[...]"

 

Source: Science Advances
Authors: Helen M. Williams et al.
DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abc7394

Read the full article here.


A benthic oxygen oasis in the early Neoproterozoic ocean

Abstract.

"Benthic oxygen oases linked to photosynthetic mats have been reported in modern anoxic aquatic systems. Benthic macroalgal blooms were common in stratified, anoxic Neoproterozoic oceans, leading us to hypothesize the existence of benthic oxygen oases at that time. This hypothesis has significant implications regarding the bioavailability of transition metals (e.g., Cu, Zn, Ni, Mo, V) and the distribution of aerobic eukaryotes in these oceans. However, little research has been directed toward testing the benthic oxygen[...]"

 

Source: Science Direct
Authors:Haiyang Wang et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2020.106085

Read the full article here.


Regional patterns and temporal evolution of ocean iron fertilization and CO2 drawdown during the last glacial termination

Abstract.

"The last time Earth's climate experienced geologically rapid global warming was associated with the last glacial termination, when atmospheric CO2 concentrations rose from 180 ppmv during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 26-19 kaBP) to ∼260 ppmv by the early Holocene (12-8 kaBP). About one quarter of that difference is thought to be due to a stronger biological pump during glacial times, driven by increased aeolian dust deposition and hence greater iron availability in[...]"

 

Source: Science Direct
Authors: Fabrice Lambert et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116675

Read the full article here.


Seeding oceans with iron may not impact climate change

"Study finds Earth's oceans contain just the right amount of iron; adding more may not improve their ability to absorb carbon dioxide

Historically, the oceans have done much of the planet's heavy lifting when it comes to sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Microscopic organisms known collectively as phytoplankton, which grow throughout the sunlit surface oceans and absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, are a key player.

To help stem escalating carbon dioxide emissions produced by the burning of fossil fuels, some scientists have proposed seeding the oceans with iron -- an essential ingredient that can stimulate phytoplankton growth. Such "iron fertilization" would cultivate vast new fields of phytoplankton, particularly in areas normally bereft of marine life. [...]"

Source: Sciencedaily

Read the full article here.


Distribution of iron in the Western Indian Ocean and the Eastern tropical South pacific: An inter-basin comparison

Abstract.

"The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and Eastern Tropical South Pacific (ETSP) are distinctly different regimes, yet they share several important features. These include a strong upwelling system, a large oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) with active denitrification, a spreading center with extensive hydrothermal activity, and a vast oligotrophic upper water column. Here, we show that the distribution and geochemistry of iron shows remarkable similarities as well. [...]"

Source: Chemical Geology
Authors: James W. Moffett and Christopher R. German
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2019.119334

Read the full article here.


Processes affecting dissolved iron across the Subtropical North Atlantic: a model study

Abstract.

"Trace metal measurements in recent years have revealed a complex distribution of dissolved iron (dFe) in the ocean that models still struggle to reproduce. The GEOTRACES section GA03 across the subtropical North Atlantic was chosen to study the driving processes involved in the Fe cycle in the region. [...]"

Source: Ocean Dynamics
Authors: Anna Pagnone et al.
DOI: 10.1007/s10236-019-01288-w

Read the full article here.


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