Articles | Volume 23, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3059-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3059-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 May 2026
Research article |
| 08 May 2026
| 08 May 2026
Living and nonliving particulate iron in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
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Natalie R. Cohen, Abigail E. Noble, Dawn M. Moran, Matthew R. McIlvin, Tyler J. Goepfert, Nicholas J. Hawco, Christopher R. German, Tristan J. Horner, Carl H. Lamborg, John P. McCrow, Andrew E. Allen, and Mak A. Saito
Biogeosciences, 18, 5397–5422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5397-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5397-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A previous study documented an intense hydrothermal plume in the South Pacific Ocean; however, the iron release associated with this plume and the impact on microbiology were unclear. We describe metal concentrations associated with multiple hydrothermal plumes in this region and protein signatures of plume-influenced microbes. Our findings demonstrate that resources released from these systems can be transported away from their source and may alter the physiology of surrounding microbes.
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Short summary
The composition of particulate Fe (pFe) influences the fate of Fe in the upper ocean. Using Fe uptake experiments and living biomass estimates, we show that over half of chemically labile pFe in the surface ocean is stored in living cells. The rest appears to be driven by contributions from dust, detritus, and/or in situ mineral precipitation onto dust particles. The large biotic component here compared to the North Atlantic supports previously reported high biotic Fe recycling at Station ALOHA.
The composition of particulate Fe (pFe) influences the fate of Fe in the upper ocean. Using Fe...
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