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Primary productivity induced by iron and nitrogen in the Tasman Sea: an overview of the PINTS expedition
Citation
Hassler, CS and Ridgway, KR and Bowie, AR and Butler, ECV and Clementson, LA and Doblin, MA and Davies, DM and Law, C and Ralph, PJ and van der Merwe, P and Watson, R and Ellwood, MJ, Primary productivity induced by iron and nitrogen in the Tasman Sea: an overview of the PINTS expedition, Marine and Freshwater Research, 65, (6) pp. 517-537. ISSN 1323-1650 (2014) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2014 CSIRO Publishing
DOI: doi:10.1071/MF13137
Abstract
The Tasman Sea and the adjacent subantarctic zone (SAZ) are economically important regions, where the parameters controlling the phytoplankton community composition and carbon fixation are not yet fully resolved. Contrasting nutrient distributions, as well as phytoplankton biomass, biodiversity and productivity were observed between the North Tasman Sea and the SAZ. In situ photosynthetic efficiency (FV/FM), dissolved and particulate nutrients, iron biological uptake, and nitrogen and carbon fixation were used to determine the factor-limiting phytoplankton growth and productivity in the North Tasman Sea and the SAZ. Highly productive cyanobacteria dominated the North Tasman Sea. High atmospheric nitrogen fixation and low nitrate dissolved concentrations indicated that non-diazotroph phytoplankton are nitrogen limited. Deck-board incubations also suggested that, at depth, iron could
limit eukaryotes, but not cyanobacteria in that region. In the SAZ, the phytoplankton community was dominated by a bloom of haptophytes. The low productivity in the SAZ was mainly explained by light limitation, but nitrogen, silicic acid as well as iron were all depleted to the extent that they could become co-limiting. This study illustrates the challenge associated with identification of the limiting nutrient, as it varied between phytoplankton groups, depths and sites.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | primary productivity, iron, nitrogen, Tasman Sea, PINTS |
| Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
| Research Group: | Oceanography |
| Research Field: | Chemical oceanography |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Marine systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Measurement and assessment of marine water quality and condition |
| UTAS Author: | Bowie, AR (Professor Andrew Bowie) |
| UTAS Author: | Davies, DM (Ms Diana Davies) |
| UTAS Author: | van der Merwe, P (Dr Pier van der Merwe) |
| ID Code: | 91506 |
| Year Published: | 2014 |
| Funding Support: | Australian Research Council (DP1092892) |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 22 |
| Deposited By: | IMAS Research and Education Centre |
| Deposited On: | 2014-05-21 |
| Last Modified: | 2018-12-17 |
| Downloads: | 9 View Download Statistics |
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