IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v11y2020i1d10.1038_s41467-019-14255-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unprecedented Fe delivery from the Congo River margin to the South Atlantic Gyre

Author

Listed:
  • Lúcia H. Vieira

    (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)

  • Stephan Krisch

    (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)

  • Mark J. Hopwood

    (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)

  • Aaron J. Beck

    (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)

  • Jan Scholten

    (University of Kiel, Otto-Hahn-Platz 1)

  • Volker Liebetrau

    (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)

  • Eric P. Achterberg

    (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)

Abstract

Rivers are a major supplier of particulate and dissolved material to the ocean, but their role as sources of bio-essential dissolved iron (dFe) is thought to be limited due to rapid, efficient Fe removal during estuarine mixing. Here, we use trace element and radium isotope data to show that the influence of the Congo River margin on surface Fe concentrations is evident over 1000 km from the Congo outflow. Due to an unusual combination of high Fe input into the Congo-shelf-zone and rapid lateral transport, the Congo plume constitutes an exceptionally large offshore dFe flux of 6.8 ± 2.3 × 108 mol year−1. This corresponds to 40 ± 15% of atmospheric dFe input into the South Atlantic Ocean and makes a higher contribution to offshore Fe availability than any other river globally. The Congo River therefore contributes significantly to relieving Fe limitation of phytoplankton growth across much of the South Atlantic.

Suggested Citation

  • Lúcia H. Vieira & Stephan Krisch & Mark J. Hopwood & Aaron J. Beck & Jan Scholten & Volker Liebetrau & Eric P. Achterberg, 2020. "Unprecedented Fe delivery from the Congo River margin to the South Atlantic Gyre," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-14255-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-14255-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-14255-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-019-14255-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-14255-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.