Seasonal Variation of Trace Elements in the Arabian Sea: The Impact of Eolian Deposition and Biological Cycling

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9310943 Measures The investigator will determine the concentrations of dissolved iron, aluminum, manganese, selenium, and beryllium at numerous stations throughout the Arabian Sea during the U.S.JGOFS Arabian Sea Process Study. Because of their different chemistries, these metals can be used as indicators of various biological, geochemical, and hydrographic processes. They also are interesting biologically, because, with the exception of beryllium, they are required by marine biota and yet are present at very low levels in ocean water; in particular, iron has been recently implicated in other U.S.JGOFS studies as a limiting nutrient for oceanic production far from the continents. Taking advantage of the fact that the seasonal monsoons trigger environmental conditions promoting primary production in the Arabian Sea, the investigator expects to study the quantity, fate, and biological impact of trace metals delivered from the surrounding land masses to the Arabian Sea in aerosol form by the monsoon winds. He will also study how seasonal low-oxygen conditions in the AS water column affects trace metal reactions and the relationship between regional hydrography and trace metal geographic distribution. In the long term, the PI expects that this study will inform our understanding of trace metal/biological/hydrological relationships in the context of the global carbon cycle. ***