Science Highlights

Some recent GEOTRACES science findings are reported below.

Submarine Groundwater Discharge as a major source of nutrients in the Mediterranean Sea

The authors are proposing a radium-228 (228Ra) isotope mass balance for the upper Mediterranean Sea to estimate the magnitude of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) to this basin. Radium isotopes have […]

05.05.2015

A new method to measure lead isotopes in the ocean with an outstanding precision

A new method for the determination of seawater lead (Pb) isotope compositions and concentrations was developed, which combines and optimizes previously published protocols for the separation and isotopic analysis of […]

06.03.2015

How to constrain the biogeochemical cycle of cobalt in the surface Western Atlantic Ocean?

Cobalt (Co) is an important micronutrient for many species living in the surface waters (bacteria, cyanobacteria, different types of phytoplancton…). Interestingly, the Co requirements vary between the different species and […]

24.02.2015

New neodymium data in the North East Atlantic Ocean allow progressing on the behaviour of this geochemical tracer

High-resolution vertical profiles of neodymium (Nd) concentrations and isotopic compositions were measured at the eastern part of the US GEOTRACES North Atlantic Zonal Transect (GA03, Gulf of Cadiz – Mauritanian […]

23.02.2015

What drives the silicon budget in the Bay of Bengal? The isotope composition clues…

The first data set of dissolved silicon isotope composition (δ30Si) along with concentrations (DSi) in seawater of the northern Indian Ocean is presented from the Bay of Bengal (BoB) region. […]

12.02.2015

How iron isotopes offer a new window on the oceanic biogeochemical cycling of iron

Two process studies (2008 and 2012) designed to study temporal changes in the biogeochemical cycling of iron (Fe), provide in situ results for dissolved and particulate Fe (DFe and PFe) […]

Radium quartet reveals no less than four main processes along the GEOTRACES North Atlantic Ocean section (30°N)

The four radium (Ra) isotopes (224Ra, 223Ra, 228Ra, 226Ra, “radium quartet”) are produced in situ via decay of their insoluble  thorium isotope parents in sediments from the continental margins and […]

23.01.2015

When direct mapping of diatoms reveals unexpected fate of trace metals in the twilight zone

Twining and co-authors (2014, see reference below) used synchrotron x-ray fluorescence mapping to measure macronutrients such phosphorus (P), sulphur (S), and silicon (Si), and also trace metals like iron (Fe), […]

20.01.2015

Iron isotopes in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean: when the dissolved phases are heavier than the particulate ones

A detailed study of the dissolved and particulate iron (Fe) concentrations and isotopes off the Papua New Guinea coast is proposed. Regarding the sources, iron isotopic composition (δ56Fe) values reveal […]

16.01.2015

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