Asian dust-deposition flux to the subarctic Pacific estimated using single quartz particles.

ABSTRACT: Iron availability limits marine ecosystem activities in large areas of the ocean. However, the sources and seasonal supply of iron, critically important for controlling surface ocean biogeochemistry and carbon cycling, are poorly understood. The western subarctic Pacific is a high-nutrient and low-chlorophyll region, and despite high concentrations of macronutrients, iron limits phytoplankton production in summer. Here, we determine the seasonal deposition flux of Asian dust using scanning electron microscope-cathodoluminescence analysis of single quartz particles derived from the western subarctic Pacific during 2003-2022 to trace provenance. We found a high (up to 6.9 mg m^-2 day^-1) deposition flux of Asian dust in May, June, and early July, with an annual average of

SUBMITTER: Nagashima K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10541437 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature