Abstract
Atmospheric dust deposition can modulate the earth's climate and atmospheric CO 2 through fertilising the ocean (nutrient source) and by accelerating the biological carbon pump through fuelling the ballasting process. To distinguish the biogeochemical effects of Saharan dust with respect to fertilization and ballasting, and to gain a broader perspective on the coccolith calcite Sr/Ca in relation to the drivers of coccolith export production, we determined the coccolith-Sr/Ca from a one-year (2012-2013) time-series sediment trap record in the western tropical North Atlantic (M4-49°N/12°W). High Sr/Ca were linked to enhanced export production in the upper part of the photic zone, most notably under windier, dry, and dustier conditions during spring. Attenuated Sr/Ca in the autumn probably reflect a combination of lower Sr-incorporation by dominant but small-size placolith-bearing species and the presence of "aged" coccoliths rapidly scavenged during a highly productive and usually fast export event, likely added by (wet) dust ballasting. Higher Sr/Ca observed in the large coccolith size fractions support the existing notion that larger-sized coccolithophores incorporate more Sr during calcification under the same environmental conditions. The presence of the abnormally Sr-rich species Scyphosphaera apsteinii is also shown in the separated large fraction of our Sr/Ca seasonal data.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 4295 |
| Pages (from-to) | 4295 |
| Journal | Scientific Reports |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Feb 2024 |
Bibliographical note
© 2024. The Author(s).Funding
The authors thank the crew of Pelagia cruise 64PE378, as well as the NIOZ technicians for their contributions. Mooring M4 was managed by the NIOZ in the framework of the projects TRAFFIC funded by NWO (no. 822.01.008), and DUSTTRAFFIC funded by ERC (no. 311152), directed by JBS. Lab preparation of the 1/5 split of the original sediment trap samples was conducted at the NIOZ; the splitting, filtering, SEM taxonomical analysis were performed at Uni-Bremen, Germany. The coccolith biometric analysis, as well as the quantification and discussion of the coccolith-CaCO3 fluxes were performed at MARUM, Germany, and at the University of Lisbon (MARE/ARNET and Nanolab/IDL), Portugal. Microscope analysis of the coccolith size fractions performed at the University of Lisbon (Nanolab/IDL). Geochemical analysis performed at ICTA-UAB, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals—Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. CVG benefited from a MSCA supported by Uni-Bremen and the EU FP7 COFUND (Grant No. 600411) and a MSCA supported by the EU H2020-MSCA-IF-2017 (Grant No. 796802—DUSTCO,) and currently benefits from a research grant funded by FCT (CEECIND/00752/2018/CP1534/CT0011—CHASE www.chase-dust.com). This study was also supported by CALMED (#CTM2016-79547-R) and the Generalitat de Catalunya MERS (#2017 SGR-1588). The authors acknowledge the NASA’s Ocean Biology Processing Group (https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov). This publication was financed by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the project UIDP/04292/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/04292/2020), UIDB/04292/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04292/2020), awarded to MARE and through project LA/P/0069/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0069/2020) granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET. The authors thank the crew of Pelagia cruise 64PE378, as well as the NIOZ technicians for their contributions. Mooring M4 was managed by the NIOZ in the framework of the projects TRAFFIC funded by NWO (no. 822.01.008), and DUSTTRAFFIC funded by ERC (no. 311152), directed by JBS. Lab preparation of the 1/5 split of the original sediment trap samples was conducted at the NIOZ; the splitting, filtering, SEM taxonomical analysis were performed at Uni-Bremen, Germany. The coccolith biometric analysis, as well as the quantification and discussion of the coccolith-CaCO fluxes were performed at MARUM, Germany, and at the University of Lisbon (MARE/ARNET and Nanolab/IDL), Portugal. Microscope analysis of the coccolith size fractions performed at the University of Lisbon (Nanolab/IDL). Geochemical analysis performed at ICTA-UAB, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals—Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. CVG benefited from a MSCA supported by Uni-Bremen and the EU FP7 COFUND (Grant No. 600411) and a MSCA supported by the EU H2020-MSCA-IF-2017 (Grant No. 796802—DUSTCO,) and currently benefits from a research grant funded by FCT (CEECIND/00752/2018/CP1534/CT0011—CHASE www.chase-dust.com ) . This study was also supported by CALMED (#CTM2016-79547-R) and the Generalitat de Catalunya MERS (#2017 SGR-1588). The authors acknowledge the NASA’s Ocean Biology Processing Group ( https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov ). This publication was financed by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the project UIDP/04292/2020 ( https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/04292/2020 ), UIDB/04292/2020 ( https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04292/2020 ), awarded to MARE and through project LA/P/0069/2020 ( https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0069/2020 ) granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET. 3
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| CALMED | 2016-79547-R |
| DUSTTRAFFIC | |
| EU H2020-MSCA-IF-2017 | 796802 |
| Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals | |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions | |
| European Research Council | 311152 |
| Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | LA/P/0069/2020, CEECIND/00752/2018/CP1534/CT0011, UIDP/04292/2020, UIDB/04292/2020 |
| Generalitat de Catalunya | 2017 SGR-1588 |
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | 822.01.008 |
| Seventh Framework Programme | 600411 |
| Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee | |
| MARUM – Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften |
Keywords
- Dust
- coccolithophores
- Fertilization
- Productivity