Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
5 years ago

Atmospheric Inputs of Iron and Manganese to Coastal Waters of the Southern California Current System: Seasonality, Santa Ana Winds, and Biogeochemical Implications

V. Camacho-Ibar, F. Delgadillo-Hinojosa, V. Torres-Delgado, M.A. Huerta-Diaz, A. Félix-Bermúdez
The magnitude and temporal variability of mineral dust deposition and its associated Fe and Mn inputs to coastal waters of the California Current System (CCS) has been scarcely investigated. Here, we report a five-year time series (April 2010-December 2014) of mineral dust (Fdust), Fe (FFe) and Mn (FMn) fluxes to the coastal zone of the southern CCS. Atmospheric deposition displayed a strong seasonal trend, with lowest Fdust, FFe and FMn during the warm season (May-October), a period dominated by strong moisture-laden winds of oceanic origin. In contrast, the highest Fdust, FFe and FMn were recorded during the cool season (November-April), a period characterized by strong winds devoid of moisture coming from the mainland. Our analysis suggests that Santa Ana Wind events could contribute with ∼15, 20 and 24%, respectively, to the total annual input of dust, Fe and Mn to the region. Besides, atmospheric soluble Fe inputs are equivalent to between 11% (warm season) and 35% (cool season) of the dissolved Fe supplied by upwelling. Our calculations indicate that atmospheric Fe deposition could explain between ∼5% (warm season) and 15% (cool season) of primary production reported for the southern CCS, suggesting that this route could also be an important input of Fe for primary producers in this region. Finally, the average Fdust, FFe and FMn for the cool seasons showed a positive interannual trend that was significantly correlated with an intensification of drought conditions over the period 2010-2014 in northwest of Mexico and southwest of the United States.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/2017JC013224

You might also like
Discover & Discuss Important Research

Keeping up-to-date with research can feel impossible, with papers being published faster than you'll ever be able to read them. That's where Researcher comes in: we're simplifying discovery and making important discussions happen. With over 19,000 sources, including peer-reviewed journals, preprints, blogs, universities, podcasts and Live events across 10 research areas, you'll never miss what's important to you. It's like social media, but better. Oh, and we should mention - it's free.

  • Download from Google Play
  • Download from App Store
  • Download from AppInChina

Researcher displays publicly available abstracts and doesn’t host any full article content. If the content is open access, we will direct clicks from the abstracts to the publisher website and display the PDF copy on our platform. Clicks to view the full text will be directed to the publisher website, where only users with subscriptions or access through their institution are able to view the full article.