Quantification of trace element atmospheric deposition fluxes to the Atlantic Ocean (>40°N; GEOVIDE, GEOTRACES GA01) during spring 2014 ☆
Indexed on: 10 Mar '17Published on: 08 Dec '16Published in: Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers
Abstract
Atmospheric deposition is an important input route of trace elements (TEs) to the global ocean. As atmospheric inputs impact phytoplankton community health and dynamics, atmospheric TE fluxes, and in particular atmospheric iron fluxes, are a key component of marine biogeochemical models. Trace element concentrations were determined in dry (aerosols) and wet (precipitation) deposition samples from the North Atlantic, north of 40°N, during the GEOVIDE cruise (GEOTRACES cruise GA01) in May/June 2014. Atmospheric aerosol loading in the study region was low (~ 2–500 ng m-3) throughout the cruise, as inferred from the very low aerosol Ti concentrations determined (0.0084–1.9 ng m-3). Wet deposition appeared to be of roughly equal or greater importance than dry deposition to the total depositional flux of TEs, which is consistent with other regions of the Atlantic Ocean outside of the influence of the Saharan plume.
