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Detrital Input Sustains Diatom Production off a Glaciated Arctic Coast

Ng, Hong Chin ; Hendry, Katharine R. ; Ward, Rachael ; Woodward, E. M.S. ; Leng, Melanie J. ; Pickering, Rebecca A. LU orcid and Krause, Jeffrey W. (2024) In Geophysical Research Letters 51(12).
Abstract

In the Arctic and subarctic oceans, the relatively low supply of silicon (compared to other nutrients) can make it limiting for the growth of diatoms, a fundamental building block of the oceanic food web. Glaciers release large quantities of dissolved silicon and dissolvable solid amorphous silica phases into high-latitude estuaries (fjords), but the role of these glacially-derived silica phases in sustaining diatom growth in the coastal and open-water sectors remains unknown. Here we show how stable and radiogenic silicon isotopes can be used together to address this question, using southwest Greenland as a case study. This study finds enhanced levels of detrital (i.e., mineral) amorphous silica, likely glacially-sourced, sustaining a... (More)

In the Arctic and subarctic oceans, the relatively low supply of silicon (compared to other nutrients) can make it limiting for the growth of diatoms, a fundamental building block of the oceanic food web. Glaciers release large quantities of dissolved silicon and dissolvable solid amorphous silica phases into high-latitude estuaries (fjords), but the role of these glacially-derived silica phases in sustaining diatom growth in the coastal and open-water sectors remains unknown. Here we show how stable and radiogenic silicon isotopes can be used together to address this question, using southwest Greenland as a case study. This study finds enhanced levels of detrital (i.e., mineral) amorphous silica, likely glacially-sourced, sustaining a large portion of diatom growth observed off the coast, revealing how the phytoplankton community can function during high-meltwater periods.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Arctic coast, glacial weathering products, isotope application, nutrient cycling, Polar marine ecosystems
in
Geophysical Research Letters
volume
51
issue
12
article number
e2024GL108324
publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85195682536
ISSN
0094-8276
DOI
10.1029/2024GL108324
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
fed2193b-0daa-46d9-8fb3-2bc560be3fd3
date added to LUP
2024-08-19 13:53:30
date last changed
2024-08-19 13:54:19
@article{fed2193b-0daa-46d9-8fb3-2bc560be3fd3,
  abstract     = {{<p>In the Arctic and subarctic oceans, the relatively low supply of silicon (compared to other nutrients) can make it limiting for the growth of diatoms, a fundamental building block of the oceanic food web. Glaciers release large quantities of dissolved silicon and dissolvable solid amorphous silica phases into high-latitude estuaries (fjords), but the role of these glacially-derived silica phases in sustaining diatom growth in the coastal and open-water sectors remains unknown. Here we show how stable and radiogenic silicon isotopes can be used together to address this question, using southwest Greenland as a case study. This study finds enhanced levels of detrital (i.e., mineral) amorphous silica, likely glacially-sourced, sustaining a large portion of diatom growth observed off the coast, revealing how the phytoplankton community can function during high-meltwater periods.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ng, Hong Chin and Hendry, Katharine R. and Ward, Rachael and Woodward, E. M.S. and Leng, Melanie J. and Pickering, Rebecca A. and Krause, Jeffrey W.}},
  issn         = {{0094-8276}},
  keywords     = {{Arctic coast; glacial weathering products; isotope application; nutrient cycling; Polar marine ecosystems}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{American Geophysical Union (AGU)}},
  series       = {{Geophysical Research Letters}},
  title        = {{Detrital Input Sustains Diatom Production off a Glaciated Arctic Coast}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108324}},
  doi          = {{10.1029/2024GL108324}},
  volume       = {{51}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}