Pyrogenic iron: The missing link to high iron solubility in aerosols

2019
Atmospheric deposition is a source of potentially bioavailable iron (Fe) and thus can partially control biological productivity in large parts of the ocean. However, the explanation of observed high aerosolFe solubility compared to that in soil particles is still controversial, as several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this observation. Here, a statistical analysis of aerosolFe solubility estimated from four models and observations compiled from multiple field campaigns suggests that pyrogenic aerosolsare the main sources of aerosolswith high Fe solubility at low concentration. Additionally, we find that field data over the Southern Ocean display a much wider range in aerosolFe solubility compared to the models, which indicate an underestimation of labile Fe concentrations by a factor of 15. These findings suggest that pyrogenic Fe-containing aerosolsare important sources of atmospheric bioavailable Fe to the open ocean and crucial for predicting anthropogenic perturbations to marine productivity.
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