The strategies used by a coastal diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana, for potentially different iron (Fe) requirements under different temperatures and irradiances were examined on the basis of three parameters: Fe uptake rate, cellspecific growth rate, and Fe efflux rate constant. These three variables determined the cellular Fe concentration, and they were all quantified under different temperatures and irradiances during long-term (days) and short-term (hours) 59 Fe exposures. Results obtained from both exposures were consistent. Although more Fe was required under the lower irradiance, Fe uptake rate decreased 1.78ϫ and 2.20ϫ as the irradiance decreased from 340 to 40 mol photons m Ϫ2 s Ϫ1 when measured by short-and long-term exposures, respectively. Under this condition, the cellspecific growth rate decreased from 1.30-1.50 to 0.51-0.63 d Ϫ1 to keep a relatively high intracellular Fe concentration under lower irradiance. The opposite trend was observed for temperature. The higher Fe requirement at higher temperature was fulfilled mainly through an increase of Fe uptake rate with increasing temperature. For example, the Fe uptake rate increased by 1.21ϫ and 2.55ϫ as the temperature increased from 15ЊC to 24ЊC in the short-and long-term exposures, respectively. In contrast, the cell-specific growth rate was relatively constant (0.92-1.06 d Ϫ1