Research involving scientists from the University of Plymouth has shed new light on natural processes in East Antarctica that could, over long timescales, help the Southern Ocean absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
As Antarctica's ice sheets thin due to climate change, newly exposed mountain peaks could significantly increase the supply of vital nutrients to the Southern Ocean which surrounds the continent. This could potentially enhance its ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to the study published in Nature Communications.
A team of scientists with expertise in oceanography, ice sheet modelling and geochemistry contributed to the study which looked at analysis of sediment samples from East Antarctica's Sør Rondane Mountains.
They discovered that weathered rocks exposed above the ice surface contain iron concentrations up to ten times higher than previously reported from the Antarctic continent. This bioavailable iron is transported to the ocean by glaciers and icebergs, where it fuels the growth of phytoplankton - microscopic marine organisms that absorb CO₂ through photosynthesis.
The research builds on earlier work involving University of Plymouth co-author
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"> Dr Matt Westoby, Associate Professor of Physical Geography in the University of Plymouth's [SCHOOL]
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences - P
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"> School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, which sought to establish how ice sheet surfaces had changed over time, and how this affects the release of debris from mountain peaks and its transfer into glacier systems.
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