Abstract
Global warming resulting from the release of anthropogenic carbon dioxide is rapidly changing the Arctic Ocean. Over the last decade sea ice declined in extent and thickness. As a result, improved light availability has increased Arctic net primary production, including in under-ice phytoplankton blooms. During the GEOTRACES cruise PS94 in the summer of 2015 we measured dissolved iron (DFe), nitrate and phosphate throughout the central part of the Eurasian Arctic. In the deeper waters concentrations of DFe were higher, which we relate to resuspension on the continental slope in the Nansen Basin and hydrothermal activity at the Gakkel Ridge. The main source of DFe in the surface was the Trans Polar Drift (TPD), resulting in concentrations up to 4.42 nM. Nevertheless, using nutrient ratios we show that a large under-ice bloom in the Nansen basin was limited by Fe. Fe limitation potentially prevented up to 54% of the available nitrate and nitrite from being used for primary production. In the Barents Sea, Fe is expected to be the first nutrient to be depleted as well. Changes in the Arctic biogeochemical cycle of Fe due to retreating ice may therefore have large consequences for primary production, the Arctic ecosystem and the subsequent drawdown of carbon dioxide.
Introduction
The Arctic Ocean is the most rapidly changing region of our planet due to recent global warming (IPCC, ); yet the central Arctic belongs to the least studied parts of the Earth. Over the last decade, Arctic sea ice has been observed to decline in extent (Stroeve et al., ; IPCC, ; Serreze et al., ) and thickness (Haas et al., ; Serreze and Stroeve, ) and changed from multi-year sea ice into more first-year sea ice (Maslanik et al., ).
The largest decrease occurred between 2007 and 2008 resulting in the export of a large part of the remaining thick ice through Fram Strait (Kwok et al., ). The Arctic sea ice reached a record minimum extent of 3.41 million km2 on September 16, 2012 (National Snow and Ice Data Center, ) with the fourth lowest minimum on September 11, 2015 (National Snow and Ice Data Center, ).
Increased light penetration and nutrient availability during spring from earlier ice breakup enhances primary production in the Arctic Ocean and its adjacent shelf seas (Bhatt et al., ). The assumption has been for a long time that primary productivity is negligible in waters beneath ice because of insufficient light (Arrigo and Van Dijken, ). However, large under-ice blooms have been observed in the Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Chukchi Sea and also in the Nansen basin (Strass and Nöthig, ; Fortier et al., ; Mundy et al., ; Arrigo and Van Dijken, ; Ulfsbo et al., 2014) suggesting that under-ice blooms are widespread. Most studies expect nitrate to be the next limiting factor to determine primary productivity (Nishino et al., ; Vancoppenolle et al., 2013; Fernández-Méndez et al., ; Tremblay et al., ). However, in the Eurasian basin surface nitrate concentrations are significant and even persist in summer (Codispoti et al., ). Light limitation and/or grazing pressure have been suggested to prevent the full use of surface nitrate here (Olli et al., ; Bluhm et al., ).
Another consequence of global warming is the increase in river discharge (Peterson et al., , ) which, combined with net loss of the Greenland ice-cap and melting of sea ice, can contribute to freshening of surface waters and increased stratification. However, the accumulation and distribution of this fresh water is strongly influenced by the Arctic circulation (Rabe et al., ). River discharge in the shelf-surrounded Arctic Ocean is a source of nutrients. These nutrients, including dissolved Fe (DFe) complexed by humic organic ligands (Laglera and van den Berg, ; Slagter et al., ), are transported in the upper 50 m through the Arctic Ocean by the transpolar drift (TPD) from the Eurasian rivers over the central Arctic to Fram Strait (Gordienko and Laktionov, ; Gregor et al., ). The TPD track varies annually depending on the Arctic Oscillation index (Macdonald et al., ).
These climate induced changes will change the biogeochemical cycling and therefore the distribution of many trace elements and isotopes. Of these Fe has proven to be the most important trace element as its low concentrations limit primary production in 30–40% of the global surface ocean and therefore regulates ocean processes such as marine ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycling (Baar et al., ; Boyd et al., ). We do not directly expect Fe limitation in the Arctic Ocean because of the above mentioned input and transport of DFe, confirmed by Klunder et al. (). However, the results of the present investigation proved otherwise. Arctic Ocean waters form an important part of the global thermohaline circulation (Aagaard et al., ; Rudels, ; Carmack et al., ). Changes in the Arctic biogeochemical cycle of Fe will not only affect the Arctic ecosystem but will affect also the chemical composition of for example the North Atlantic Deep Water. Gerringa et al. () assumed that the Arctic is a source of Fe-binding dissolved organic ligands, since these decreased with distance from Fram Strait.
The deep water composition of DFe depends on the input of Atlantic water (200–900 m) with more elevated DFe in the Nansen Basin, and on slope processes with downwards convection of Fe released from resuspended sediments (Klunder et al., ). A major source in the Nansen Basin is the hydrothermal activity at the Gakkel Ridge (Edmonds et al., ; Baker et al., ). These three processess are not expected to be rapidly affected by climate change. Scavenging, however, might be prone to changes due to a higher biological activity in the euphotic zone, influencing the flux of sinking particles. According to Klunder et al. () the reason why DFe in the deep Makarov Basin is so low, is that sources affecting the Nansen Basin are absent.
To investigate if climate change could affect the biogeochemical cycle of Fe in the Arctic Ocean we measured dissolved Fe, nitrate and phosphate throughout the central part of the Eurasian Arctic during the TransArcII expedition between August 15th and October 17th 2015 (FS Polarstern, PS94; Figure 1). We compared the DFe with earlier work of Klunder et al. (,) on surface and deep concentrations measured in 2007. We found a different hydrothermal source of Fe than discussed by Klunder et al. (). Using nutrient ratios we showed that a large under-ice bloom in the Nansen basin was limited by Fe.
Figure 1
Methods and equipment
A total of 28 stations were sampled for DFe during the GEOTRACES TransARC II cruise (PS94) on the German icebreaker RV Polarstern between 17 August and 14 October 2015 (Figure 1). Two CTD systems were used, a standard rosette sampling system equipped with a fluorometer for chl a fluorescence and an “ultraclean CTD” sampling system; both were equipped with a SEABIRD 911 CTD. The temperature and salinity data from the standard sampling system were used for their higher spatial resolution (Rabe et al.,
The data can be found in Pangaea (https://www.pangaea.de, CTD data: in https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.859558) and with the BODC (http://www.bodc.ac.uk/geotraces).
Nutrients
The nutrients phosphate, silicate, nitrite and nitrate were analyzed in a temperature controlled laboratory container with a Technicon TRAACS 800 continuous flow auto analyser (Murphy and Riley,
Table 1
| PO4 | Si | NO2 | NO3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detection limits | 0.003 | 0.03 | 0.008 | 0.04 |
| Precision Cocktail (in one run) n = 12 | 0.002 | 0.06 | 0.002 | 0.02 |
| Precision Cocktail (between runs) n = 79 | 0.005 | 0.06 | 0.004 | 0.05 |
| Precision Ref Mat. n = 60 | 0.006 | 0.08 | 0.007 | 0.04 |
| Accuracy Ref Mat. n = 60 | 0.007 | 0.56 | 0.015 | 0.05 |
Detection limits, precision and accuracy in μM of the nutrients.
Precision and accuracy were determined using a lab reference nutrient cocktail and a reference material for nutrients in seawater produced by KANSO (Ref. Mat). The precision in one run is calculated to check whether small differences in one run are significant.
Dissolved Fe
Samples for dissolved metals were acidified to a pH of 1.8 using a final concentration of 0.024 M ultraclean Seastar Base-line HCl (Seastar Chemicals). DFe was measured on board using flow injection analysis (FIA) based on luminol chemiluminescence (Rijkenberg et al.,
Table 2
| Reference sample | Bottle# | Element | Measured value | n | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAFe S | 358 | Fe | 0.057 ± 0.004 | 3 | nmol/kg |
| GS | 126 | Fe | 0.566 ± 0.044 | 10 | nmol/kg |
| GD | 127 | Fe | 0.957 ± 0.041 | 9 | nmol/kg |
| SAFe D2 | 42 | Fe | 0.900 ± 0.045 | 7 | nmol/kg |
| SAFe D2 | 151 | Fe | 0.905 ± 0.021 | 6 | nmol/kg |
| SAFe D1 | 185 | Fe | 0.616 ± 0.080 | 10 | nmol/kg |
| Intercalibration consensus values as per May 2013: | reference value | ||||
| SAFe S | Fe | 0.093 ± 0.008 | nmol/kg | ||
| GS | Fe | 0.546 ± 0.046 | nmol/kg | ||
| GD | Fe | 1.000 ± 0.100 | nmol/kg | ||
| SAFe D2 | Fe | 0.933 ± 0.023 | nmol/kg | ||
| SAFe D1 | Fe | 0.670 ± 0.040 | nmol/kg |
The values of SAFe and GEOTRACES reference samples for DFe measured on board using flow injection analysis based on luminol chemiluminescence during cruise PS94 in the Arctic Ocean.
Also included are the SAFe and GEOTRACES intercalibration consensus values (http://www.geotraces.org/sic/intercalibrate-a-lab/standards-and-reference-materials). GS is a GEOTRACES surface reference sample and GD is a GEOTRACES deep reference sample.
Fe* calculations
In order to investigate whether Fe can reach growth-limiting values we define,
Fe* = [DFe] − (Fe:GLnut) x [GLnut], where (Fe:GLnut) is the average biological uptake ratio of Fe over the growth-limiting macronutrient (GLnut). Which of the macronutrients is expected to be growth limiting can be determined from N/P plots. Surface waters in many samples outside the TPD are depleted in N, or N will be the first macronutrient to deplete when extrapolating the N/P slope. Therefore, the ratio Fe:GLnut will be the uptake ratio of Fe:N (RFe:N).
As we don't have any information about the Fe:nutrient ratios of the Arctic phytoplankton communities we used two extreme scenarios based on phosphate uptake ratios (RFe:P) from the literature assuming the Arctic phytoplankton community to have Fe:nutrient ratios in between. Using the two extreme scenarios, one with less strict limitation assumptions (RFe:P = 0.47 mmol·mol−1) and one with strict limitation assumptions (RFe:P = 0.18 mmol·mol−1), we show the minimum and maximum potential extent of Fe-limitation in the Nansen Basin. The less strict assumption (maximum extent Fe*) is hereafter indicated as scenario 1, the strict with scenario 2. The RFe:P of 0.47 mmol·mol−1 of scenario 1 was used in studies in Antarctic waters by Blain et al. (
Calculation percentage unused nitrogen due to Fe-limitation
To calculate the percentage unused nitrogen due to Fe-limitation we integrated the sum of nitrate and nitrite concentrations over the upper 100 m along our transect in the Nansen basin (PS94, Station 40, 50, 54, and 58) and subtracted the nitrogen used when all DFe would be fully used using the RFe:N of scenario 1 and 2 (Table 3). To express this as a percentage we used two estimates of the background nitrogen inventory in absence of a bloom. For the first estimate we integrated the sum of nitrate and nitrite concentrations over the upper 100 m of the Stations 255-1, 258-1, 260-2, 261-1 as measured during ARKXXII/2 (Klunder et al.,
Table 3
| RFe:N | Background nitrate + nitrite | Percentage unused nitrogen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario 1 | 0.033239 | nitrate + nitrite in 2007 (0–100 m) | 54 |
| Scenario 2 | 0.01273 | nitrate + nitrite in 2007 (0–100 m) | 8 |
| Scenario 1 | 0.033239 | nitrate + nitrite in 2015 (100–200 m) | 37 |
| Scenario 2 | 0.01273 | nitrate + nitrite in 2015 (100–200 m) | 5 |
The unused nitrogen due to Fe-limitation calculated for the different RFe:N in mmol mol−1 as used in scenario 1 and 2 as percentage of two different estimates of background of the sum of nitrate and nitrite.
Results
Hydrography
The hydrography of the Transects I and II is described by Slagter et al. (
Figure 2

TS profiles and section plots of Transects 1–3 (A–C; Rabe et al.,
One branch of the Atlantic water enters the Arctic Ocean via the Barents Sea (Figure 2C) resulting in high potential temperatures and salinities (Rudels,
N was the limiting macronutrient in all surface waters during PS94 (Figure 3).
Figure 3

Concentrations of phosphate versus the sum of nitrite and nitrate, in μM. In blue >100 m, in red ≤100 m, the equations in A–D show the linear relation for samples >100 m (blue dashed line), the equation in E shows the linear relation for all depths (black dashed line). (A) All samples; (B) Samples taken in the Nansen Basin at stations 32, 40, 50, 54, 58, and 64; (C) Samples taken in the Amundsen Basin at stations 69, 70,81,87, 91, 117, 119, 121, and 125; (D) Samples taken in the Makarov Basin at stations 96, 99, 101, 130, and 134; (E) Samples taken at the shelf at stations 4, 147, 149, 153, 157, 161, 169, and 173 (see Figure 1 for the station locations).
DFe
In the upper 100 m of the Nansen Basin DFe concentrations were extremely low and ranged between 0.03 and 0.21 nM (Stations 32, 40, 50, 54, 58, 64) (Figures 4A, 5A). At Station 32 in the transition between the Nansen Basin and the Barents Shelf, DFe concentrations were low in the surface but ranged between 0.48 and 0.77 nM at depths below 100 m. These DFe concentrations were higher than those found at similar depths at the more northerly stations in the central Nansen Basin (Stations 40–58, 0.34, and 0.5 nM). This reflects both the inflow of Atlantic water in the upper 1,000 m and the effect of sediment resuspension at depths below 2,600 m, confirming findings by Klunder et al. (
Figure 4

Selected depth profiles of dissolved Fe concentrations (DFe) in nM. (A–C) Upper 500 m of the Nansen, Amundsen and Makarov Basins, respectively; (D) Barents Sea (E–G) full depth profiles in the Nansen, Amundsen and Makarov Basins, respectively. Station numbers, basin names and transects numbers are indicated in the respective legends (see Figure 1). Surface maxima and offscale values are given in the figures. Symbols for Transect 1 are open, for Transect 2 filled and for Transect 3 crossed. Error bars indicate standard deviations (N = 2 or 3). Most error bars fall inside of the symbols.
Figure 5

DFe in nM in Transect 1, with (A) the top 500 m and (B) the full depth. Station numbers and basin names are given (see Figure 1). The white contours indicate the border of the TransPolar Drift as defined by Slagter et al. (
In the Amundsen and Makarov Basins, DFe in the upper 100 m was high within the boundaries of the TPD, defined after Slagter et al. (
Figure 6

DFe in nM in Transect 2, with (A) the top 500 m and (B) the full depth. Station numbers and basin names are given (see Figure 1). The white contours indicate the border of the TransPolar Drift as defined by Slagter et al. (
The DFe concentrations in the Barents Sea (Transect 3, Figures 4D, 7) are higher than in the central Arctic. Concentrations in the surface vary from 1.54 nM at Station 147 to 0.09–0.24 nM at Stations 149–161 and 0.4 nM at Station 169–172. The deep concentrations vary even more, from 9.73 nM at Station 147 to 0.47–1.41 nM at the other stations.
Figure 7

DFe in nM in Transect 3. Station numbers are given (see Figure 1). Black contours indicate DFe and have an equidistance of 0.1 nM for the range 0≤DFe≤0.5 nM and of 0.5 nM for the range 0.5<DFe≤4.5 nM.
Discussion
Deep basins
Sources of DFe to the deep Arctic are shelf seas, sediments and hydrothermal vents. Klunder et al. (
In general, with the exception of Station 70, we see that DFe concentrations stayed constant or changed slightly between 1,000 m and the bottom throughout the central Nansen and Amundsen basins (Figure 4). Deep DFe concentrations were similar or slightly lower than deep DFe concentrations in the North Atlantic and the North pacific (Moore and Braucher,
Hydrothermal input was found near the Gakkel Ridge with elevated DFe in the Amundsen Basin (Figures 4F, 5), as was also observed by Middag et al. (
Klunder et al. (
Surface and shelf
Sources of DFe to the surface Arctic Ocean are sea ice melt, atmospheric inputs, lateral input from land with rivers as the main contributor, Atlantic inflow and mixing with deep water.
Sea ice melt is found to be important in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea (Aguilar-Islas et al.,
Although the potential influence of dust input is acknowledged not much is known from dust input in the Arctic Ocean (Bullard,
According to literature (Lam et al.,
Figure 8

Chlorophyll a fluorescence in arbitrary units in the upper 200 m of Transect 1. Station numbers are given and the thick gray line at the top indicates sea ice cover (see Figure 1).
To investigate if Fe could become a limiting factor for this under ice bloom preventing the full use of the macronutrients, as described in the method section (Fe* < 0), we calculated Fe* for both the Klunder data as well as our own (Parekh et al.,
Figure 9

Fe* in nM in the upper 500 m of Transects 1-3 according to two scenarios. Scenario 1 and scenario 2. The black contour indicates where Fe*≤0, with an equidistance of −0.1 nM. Station numbers and basin names are given (see Figure 1).
Along Transect 3 DFe is also low (i.e., 0.08 nM at Station 169 at 10–25 m depth) and the macronutrient concentrations between Stations 153 and 169 are not depleted. The N:P slope for depths >100 m is inconclusive here. Extrapolating the N:P slope for all depths (Figure 3E), nitrogen would be the first to be depleted, but phosphorous would also be low. Like Transects 1 and 2 we used nitrogen as macronutrient to calculate Fe*, and indeed Fe* < 0 also occurs here, though only in scenario 1 (Figure 9).
The increase of light by melting of the sea ice and the subsequent increase of primary production, and as a consequence a larger consumption of available nutrients, has been discussed by others predominantly in the Pacific part of the Arctic Ocean (Arrigo et al.,
The TPD, driven by Atlantic and Pacific inflow to the shelf seas with an estimated transition time across the Arctic Ocean of 3 years (Gregor et al.,
Conclusions
This study identified sediment resuspension along the continental slope and hydrothermal venting at the Gakkel Ridge as sources of DFe to the deep Nansen and Amundsen basins, respectively, confirming the findings of Klunder et al. (
The most important source of DFe to the surface of the Arctic Ocean is the TPD, transporting river water with high concentrations of Fe complexed by organic ligands (Slagter et al.,
Statements
Author contributions
MR, MRvdL, and LG were responsible for the design of this research. MR and JvO analyzed the data. MR, HS, and LG interpreted data. MR, HS, LG, and MRvdL wrote the paper.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Captain S. Schwarze and his crew of the RV Polarstern and the chief scientist Ursula Schauer for their efforts and support (AWI-PS94-00). We also would like to thank the members of the ultraclean sampling team Aridane González, Lars-Eric Heimbürger and Michael Staubwasser. Sven Ober enabled sampling with the ultra-clean CTD by keeping our Titan alive. Benjamin Rabe (AWI Bremerhaven) provided the physical oceanographic parameters necessary to interpret our data. The support of Patrick Laan during cruise preparations was invaluable. HS was funded through a grant by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) under contract number 822.01.018 to LG. Our meeting with our GEOTRACES colleagues on the USCGC Healy at the North Pole was an inspiring highlight of our expedition.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Summary
Keywords
GEOTRACES, dissolved Fe, Arctic Ocean, Fe limitation, climate change
Citation
Rijkenberg MJA, Slagter HA, Rutgers van der Loeff M, van Ooijen J and Gerringa LJA (2018) Dissolved Fe in the Deep and Upper Arctic Ocean With a Focus on Fe Limitation in the Nansen Basin. Front. Mar. Sci. 5:88. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00088
Received
07 November 2017
Accepted
02 March 2018
Published
27 March 2018
Volume
5 - 2018
Edited by
Christel Hassler, Université de Genève, Switzerland
Reviewed by
Jessica Nicole Fitzsimmons, Texas A&M University College Station, United States; Ludvig Löwemark, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
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© 2018 Rijkenberg, Slagter, Rutgers van der Loeff, van Ooijen and Gerringa.
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*Correspondence: Loes J. A. Gerringa loes.gerringa@nioz.nl
This article was submitted to Marine Biogeochemistry, a section of the journal Frontiers in Marine Science
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