IRON FLUCTUATION IN THE SOUTHERN ROSS SEA

12.10.2011

Each summer the waters in McMurdo Sound, in the south-western Ross Sea experience vast phytoplankton blooms. This phenomenon is stimulated by the addition of bio-available iron in an environment where phytoplankton growth is otherwise iron limited. Aeolian dust – dust carried by the wind – is a major source of iron for sections of the Ross Sea. Dust containing iron accumulates on the sea ice throughout the winter and is released into the ocean during the summer sea ice melt season. Holly Winton, the recipient of this year’s New Zealand Post Scholarship for Antarctic science, has been analysing the dust and iron content of surface snow samples from Southern McMurdo Sound. The full press release can be found here :