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Solubility of Aerosol Iron in Open-ocean Seawater (SOLAIROS)
Start date: Nov 1, 2009, End date: Oct 31, 2012 PROJECT  FINISHED 

"The distribution of iron in the oceans is known to have a significant impact on carbon and nitrogen biogeochemical cycles and climate variability due to its role as a growth limiting nutrient for phytoplankton. The principle mechanism for iron transport to remote open ocean surface water is via the atmospheric transport of aerosol material. Hence an accurate understanding of the controlling variables for dissolution of aerosol iron in seawater is required to advance and improve global biogeochemical models. The aim of the proposed work is to conduct a rigorous study of aerosol iron dissolution in seawater by mimicking the conditions and variables of the air/sea interface that will affect the process. The study will test the hypothesis that the physico-chemical nature of seawater controls this dissolution process rather than the nature of the aerosol deposited. To address this, ship-board and laboratory dissolution experiments will be conducted following the collection and characterisation of aerosol and seawater samples from the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series region. The project will be based at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) and at the University of Plymouth (UoP) host institutions. The collaborative work will benefit the EU scientific community and strengthen the researcher’s profile by offering high level training in atmospheric sampling and handling and a variety of analytical techniques for the determination of dissolved iron species in seawater. It will also allow continued and frequent access to open ocean seawater and aerosol samples as well as interdisciplinary training in meteorology, oceanography and remote sensing. The results from the study will further contribute to the international scientific community by better constraining iron transport for global biogeochemical models and improving predictions of the effects of climate change, ocean acidification, anthropogenic emissions and modifications to land use and vegetation."
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