High productivity in an ice melting hot spot at the eastern boundary of the Weddell Gyre
High productivity in an ice melting hot spot at the eastern boundary of the Weddell Gyre
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DOI：
10.1029/2009gb003657
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发表时间：
2010-07-21
影响因子：
5.2
通讯作者：
Webb, A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Geibert, W.;Assmy, P.;Webb, A.
南大洋（SO）在通过物理和生物过程调节大气CO(2)中起着关键作用。然而，在大部分SO中，生物活性是受铁限制的。非洲南部南极地区在东经20度-25度中心区域的新现场数据揭示了一个以前被忽视的高初级产量区域，其规模与西北非洲上升流区域相当。在这里，海冰和封闭的冰山被盛行风引导到威德尔环流的东部边界，在那里向温暖水域的急剧转变导致融化。这种累积的融化为铁提供了稳定的来源，促进了浮游植物的大量繁殖，而每月的卫星产量估计并没有完全捕捉到这一点。这些发现表明，海冰覆盖和动态的未来变化可能对SO中的碳固存产生重大影响。
The Southern Ocean (SO) plays a key role in modulating atmospheric CO(2) via physical and biological processes. However, over much of the SO, biological activity is iron-limited. New in situ data from the Antarctic zone south of Africa in a region centered at similar to 20 degrees E-25 degrees E reveal a previously overlooked region of high primary production, comparable in size to the northwest African upwelling region. Here, sea ice together with enclosed icebergs is channeled by prevailing winds to the eastern boundary of the Weddell Gyre, where a sharp transition to warmer waters causes melting. This cumulative melting provides a steady source of iron, fuelling an intense phytoplankton bloom that is not fully captured by monthly satellite production estimates. These findings imply that future changes in sea-ice cover and dynamics could have a significant effect on carbon sequestration in the SO.