Literature data on benthic dissolved iron (DFe) fluxes (μmol m À2 d À1 ), bottom water oxygen concentrations (O 2BW , μM), and sedimentary carbon oxidation rates (C OX , mmol m À2 d À1 ) from water depths ranging from 80 to 3700 m were assembled. The data were analyzed with a diagenetic iron model to derive an empirical function for predicting benthic DFe fluxes: DFe flux ¼ γ Á tanh COX O2BW where γ (= 170 μmol m À2 d À1 ) is the maximum flux for sediments at steady state located away from river mouths. This simple function unifies previous observations that C OX and O 2BW are important controls on DFe fluxes. Upscaling predicts a global DFe flux from continental margin sediments of 109 ± 55 Gmol yr À1 , of which 72 Gmol yr À1 is contributed by the shelf (<200 m) and 37 Gmol yr À1 by slope sediments (200-2000 m). The predicted deep-sea flux (>2000 m) of 41 ± 21 Gmol yr À1 is unsupported by empirical data. Previous estimates of benthic DFe fluxes derived using global iron models are far lower (approximately 10-30 Gmol yr À1 ). This can be attributed to (i) inadequate treatment of the role of oxygen on benthic DFe fluxes and (ii) improper consideration of continental shelf processes due to coarse spatial resolution. Globally averaged DFe concentrations in surface waters simulated with the intermediate-complexity University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model were a factor of 2 higher with the new function. We conclude that (i) the DFe flux from marginal sediments has been underestimated in the marine iron cycle and (ii) iron scavenging in the water column is more intense than currently presumed.

Marine biological production as well as the associated biotic uptake of carbon in many ocean regions depends on the availability of nutrients in the euphotic zone. While large areas are limited by nitrogen and/or phosphorus, the micronutrient iron is considered the main limiting nutrient in the North Pacific, equatorial Pacific and Southern Ocean. Changes in iron availability via changes in atmospheric dust input are discussed to play an important role in glacial-interglacial cycles via climate feedbacks caused by changes in biological ocean carbon sequestration. Although many aspects of the iron cycle remain unknown, its incorporation into marine biogeochemical models is needed to test our current understanding and better constrain its role in the Earth system. In the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model (UVic) iron limitation in the ocean was, until now, simulated pragmatically with an iron concentration masking scheme that did not allow a consistent interactive response to perturbations of ocean biogeochemistry or iron cycling sensitivity studies. Here, we replace the iron masking scheme with a dynamic iron cycle and compare the results to available observations and the previous marine biogeochemical model. Sensitivity studies are also conducted with the new model to test the sensitivity of the model to parameterized iron ligand concentrations, the importance of considering the variable solubility of iron in dust deposition, the importance of considering high-resolution bathymetry for the sediment release of iron, the effect of scaling the sedimentary iron release with temperature and the sensitivity of the iron cycle to a climate change scenario.Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.

Changes in the ocean iron cycle could help explain the low atmospheric CO2 during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Previous modeling studies have mostly considered changes in aeolian iron fluxes, although it is known that sedimentary and hydrothermal fluxes are important iron sources for today's ocean. Here we explore effects of preindustrial‐to‐LGM changes in atmospheric dust, sedimentary, and hydrothermal fluxes on the ocean's iron and carbon cycles in a global coupled biogeochemical‐circulation model. Considering variable atmospheric iron solubility decreases LGM surface soluble iron fluxes compared with assuming constant solubility. This limits potential increases in productivity and export production due to surface iron fertilization, lowering atmospheric CO2 by only 4 ppm. The effect is countered by a decrease in sedimentary flux due to lower sea level, which increases CO2 by 15 ppm. Assuming a 10 times higher iron dust solubility in the Southern Ocean, combined with changes in sedimentary flux, we obtain an atmospheric CO2 reduction of 13 ppm. The high uncertainty in the iron fluxes does not allow us to determine the net direction and magnitude of variations in atmospheric CO2 due to changes in the iron cycle. Our model does not account for changes to iron‐binding ligand concentrations that could modify the results. We conclude that when evaluating glacial‐interglacial changes in the ocean iron cycle, not only surface but also seafloor fluxes must be taken into account.

The iron hypothesis suggests that in large areas of the ocean phytoplankton growth and thus photosynthetic CO2 uptake is limited by the micronutrient iron. Phytoplankton requires iron in particular for nitrate uptake, light harvesting, and electron transport in photosynthesis, suggesting a tight coupling of iron and light limitation. One important source of iron to the open ocean is dust deposition. Previous global biogeochemical modeling studies have suggested a low sensitivity of oceanic CO2 uptake to changes in dust deposition. Here we show that this sensitivity is increased significantly when iron‐light colimitation, i.e., the impact of iron bioavailability on light‐harvesting capabilities, is explicitly considered. Accounting for iron‐light colimitation increases the shift of export production from tropical and subtropical regions to the higher latitudes of subpolar regions at high dust deposition and amplifies iron limitation at low dust deposition. Our results reemphasize the role of iron as a key limiting nutrient for phytoplankton.

Abstract. Marine biological production and the associated biotic uptake of carbon in many ocean regions depend on the availability of nutrients in the euphotic zone. While large areas are limited by nitrogen and/or phosphorus, the micronutrient iron is considered the main limiting nutrient in the North Pacific, equatorial Pacific and Southern Ocean. Changes in iron availability via changes in atmospheric dust input are discussed to play an important role in glacial/interglacial cycles via climate feedbacks caused by changes in biological ocean carbon sequestration. Although many aspects of the iron cycle remain unknown, its incorporation into marine biogeochemical models is needed to test our current understanding and better constrain its role in the Earth system. In the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model (UVic) iron limitation in the ocean was, until now, simulated pragmatically with an iron concentration masking scheme that did not allow a consistent interactive response to perturbations of ocean biogeochemistry or iron cycling sensitivity studies. Here, we replace the iron masking scheme with a dynamic iron cycle and compare the results to available observations and the previous marine biogeochemical model. Sensitivity studies are also conducted with the new model to test the importance of considering the variable solubility of iron in dust deposition, the importance of considering high resolution bathymetry for the sediment release of iron, the effect of scaling the sedimentary iron release with temperature and the sensitivity of the iron cycle to a climate change scenario.