Coupling of Trace Metal Micronutrients and Phytoplankton Dynamics - A Focus on the Bering Sea and the Role of Iron

海洋科学的一个令人兴奋的研究前沿涉及微量营养元素如Fe、Mn、Zn和Co在影响浮游生物群落结构和功能中的作用。 某些具有生物活性的微量金属-特别是铁-可在分子、细胞、群落和生态系统各级影响海洋浮游植物。特别重要的是微量金属如铁作为生物限制微量营养素的关键作用，该项目的重点是在2003年7月对白令海进行为期一个月的大型实地考察，以调查微量营养元素微量金属的作用（重点是铁）在影响浮游植物群落。位于圣克鲁斯的加州大学的研究人员将研究白令海海洋环流和西部亚北极环流的主要高营养、低叶绿素区域--他们认为这些区域是铁有限的。 他们还将考察白令海大陆架--一个几乎覆盖白令海一半的多产地区。 这是一个极其广阔的大陆架，宽度从500公里到800多公里不等。 有人曾提到白令海内大陆架上有一个“铁幕”，但没有数据证实这一想法。 有一个“绿色带”的高叶绿素和初级生产，发生在整个夏天在货架休息，必须得到足够的铁沿着与宏观营养物质，以维持自己。 这项研究的重点将是检查铁（和其他微量元素的微量金属）的分布相对于常量营养素的分布，以深入了解白令海的各个地区的微量和常量营养素元素的相对供应和需求。 除了在白令海的主要实地工作外，这些研究人员还将进行一项研究，以解决铁在影响加州中部上升流系统浮游植物群落中的作用。

ABSTRACTOCE-0137085An exciting research frontier in ocean sciences involves the role of micronutrient trace metals such as Fe, Mn, Zn, and Co in affecting the structure and function of plankton communities. Certain bioactive trace metals - in particular iron - can influence marine phytoplankton at the molecular, cellular, community and ecosystem levels. Of particular importance is the critical role trace metals such as iron play as biolimiting micronutrients, especially in areas where macronutrients are provided to the surface waters by upwelling or vertical mixing at high rates.The focus of this project is a major month-long field effort to the Bering Sea in July 2003 to investigate the role of micronutrient trace metals (with a focus on Fe) in influencing phytoplankton communities. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz will study the major high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll regions of the oceanic Bering Sea gyre and the western subarctic gyre - regions that they believe are Fe-limited. They will also examine the Bering Sea Shelf - a productive region that covers almost half of the Bering Sea. This is an extremely wide continental shelf, ranging from 500 to over 800 km in width. There has been mention of an "iron curtain" occurring over the inner shelf of the Bering Sea, although there are no data available to confirm this idea. There is a "Green Belt" of high chlorophyll and primary production that occurs throughout the summer at the shelf break which must receive adequate Fe along with macro-nutrients to sustain itself. An emphasis of this study will be to examine the distribution of Fe (and other micronutrient trace metals) relative to the macronutrient distributions in order to gain insight into the relative supply and demand of micro- and macronutrient elements in the various regions of the Bering Sea. In addition to the major field effort in the Bering Sea, these researchers will conduct a study to address the role of iron in influencing phytoplankton communities in the central California upwelling system.