Vertical eddy iron fluxes support primary production in the open Southern Ocean
Uchida, T.; Balwada, D.; Abernathey, R.P.; McKinley, G.A.; Smith, K.S.; Lévy, M. (2020). Vertical eddy iron fluxes support primary production in the open Southern Ocean. Nature Comm. 11(1): 8 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14955-0
In: Nature Communications. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2041-1723; e-ISSN 2041-1723, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Uchida, T.
- Balwada, D.
- Abernathey, R.P.
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- McKinley, G.A.
- Smith, K.S.
- Lévy, M.
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| Abstract |
The primary productivity of the Southern Ocean ecosystem is limited by iron availability. Away from benthic and aeolian sources, iron reaches phytoplankton primarily when iron-rich subsurface waters enter the euphotic zone. Here, eddy-resolving physical/biogeochemical simulations of a seasonally-forced, open-Southern-Ocean ecosystem reveal that mesoscale and submesoscale isopycnal stirring effects a cross-mixed-layer-base transport of iron that sustains primary productivity. The eddy-driven iron supply and consequently productivity increase with model resolution. We show the eddy flux can be represented by specific well-tuned eddy parametrizations. Since eddy mixing rates are sensitive to wind forcing and large-scale hydrographic changes, these findings suggest a new mechanism for modulating the Southern Ocean biological pump on climate timescales. |
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