Ironing out details of the carbon cycle: Dissolved iron in North Atlantic traced to sources
Thursday, July 3, 2014 - 11:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Iron is an essential element in all living creatures, and its availability in seawater can have a profound effect on phytoplankton growth and, consequently, the earth's carbon cycle. Scientists have assessed the various sources of dissolved iron in the north Atlantic Ocean, establishing that a great deal of it, some 70 to 90 percent, originates from dust blowing off the Sahara desert.