Detrital Input Sustains Diatom Production off a Glaciated Arctic Coast

Ng, HC, Hendry, KR, Wardenaar, R, Woodward, EMS, Leng, MJ, Pickering, RA and Krause, JW 2024 Detrital Input Sustains Diatom Production off a Glaciated Arctic Coast. Geophysical Research Letters, 51 (12). https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108324

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Abstract/Summary

In the Arctic and subarctic oceans, the relatively low supply of silicon (compared to othernutrients) 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 canbe 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 diatomgrowth observed off the coast, revealing how the phytoplankton community can function during high-meltwater periods.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Divisions:	Plymouth Marine Laboratory > National Capability categories > Added Value Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Marine Biochemistry and Observations
Depositing User:	S Hawkins
Date made live:	14 Aug 2024 13:05
Last Modified:	14 Aug 2024 13:05
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/10280

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