Benthic Dissolved Silicon and Iron Cycling at Glaciated Patagonian Fjord Heads.

ABSTRACT: Glacier meltwater supplies silicon (Si) and iron (Fe) sourced from weathered bedrock to downstream ecosystems. However, the extent to which these nutrients reach the ocean is regulated by the nature of the benthic cycling of dissolved Si and Fe within fjord systems, given the rapid deposition of reactive particulate fractions at fjord heads. Here, we examine the benthic cycling of the two nutrients at four Patagonian fjord heads through geochemical analyses of sediment pore waters, including Si and Fe isotopes (δ³⁰Si and δ⁵⁶Fe), and reaction-transport modeling for Si. A high diffusive flux of dissolved Fe from the fjord sediments (up to 0.02 mmol m^-2 day^-1) compared to open ocean sediments (typically <0.001 mmol m^-2 day^-1) i

SUBMITTER: Ng HC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9786927 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature