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In HNLC oceanic regions, iron (Fe) controls phytoplankton productivity yet large gaps remain in our understanding of iron's biogeochemical cycle. Here we present the first comprehensive winter dataset for dissolved Fe (dFe) and nitrate (NO₃) distributions (0–1000 m depth) between 40S–52S, which transects the Subantarctic zone (SAZ), west of New Zealand. Surface concentrations (<0.2 nmol Fe kg⁻¹) were conspicuously low, i.e., probably biologically limiting even at winter-reserve levels, at frontal zones between 43S (Subtropical Front) and ∼51S (Subantarctic Front). A fivefold range in Fe:NO3 molar ratios was observed along the transect, with Subtropical waters, where blooms occur, having the highest ratios in subsurface waters. The major wintertime supply of dFe in the SAZ is from Ekman advection of waters from the south (but calculated source water dFe is ∼0.2 nmol Fe kg⁻¹), suggesting that mixed-layer dFe concentration is controlled by how long these southern waters remain at the surface (∼3 years).

Item Type:	Refereed Article
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:	Boyd, PW (Professor Philip Boyd)
ID Code:	95531
Year Published:	2008
Web of Science® Times Cited:	41
Deposited By:	IMAS Research and Education Centre
Deposited On:	2014-10-03
Last Modified:	2014-11-18
Downloads:	464 View Download Statistics