Effects Of Iron To The Ocean Phytoplankton
Alexandra Edwards
Microbial Ecology
SoFEX Experiment
Phytoplankton are microscopic photosynthetic organisms that inhabit the surface waters of the oceans. Major nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates are required for the growth and exist in abundant supply, yet the production of chlorophyll in particular areas of the oceans by phytoplankton is lower then would be expected (Watson, 2012). Investigations into these high nutrient, low chlorophyll (HNLC) regions, such as the Southern Ocean, have predicted that low iron levels have limited phytoplankton blooms. As proposed in 1988 by John Gribin (Watson, 2012), the addition of iron to the ocean in HNLC areas could increase phytoplankton production. When phytoplankton “bloom”, or rapidly
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It has been purposed that that the addition of iron to the ocean could influence the carbon export of the oceans and the “drawdown” effect of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere could be used …show more content…
Phytoplankton are a major base of the marine food chain and changes in the community will have unpredictable impacts. Iron fertilization of large areas of the ocean could result in other essential nutrients being used up throughout the phytoplankton bloom, ultimately resulting in a depletion of nutrient levels downstream to the fertilized areas (Watson, 2012). Finally, iron addition and phytoplankton blooms that come from this supplementation are associated with increased remineralization due to the increase of sinking particulates (Watson, 2012). Increasing remineralization has the possibility to decrease oxygen levels in surface waters, resulting in significant ocean oxygen depletion (Watson, 2012). This depletion of nutrients and oxygen in the oceans could result in an overall decrease in biological productivity causing more harm to the oceanic environment then the benefits produced by decreased greenhouse
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