ORCID Profile
0000-0001-8061-4325
Current Organisation
Australian Antarctic Program Partnership
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-09-2023
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1071/MF16335
Abstract: This review aims to bring into focus the current understanding of hydrothermal systems and plume dynamics, tracers of hydrothermalism and the contribution of iron from hydrothermal vents to the global oceanic iron budget. The review then explores hydrothermal effect on surface ocean productivity. It is now well documented that scarcity of iron limits the production of chlorophyll-producing organisms in many regions of the ocean that are high in macronutrients. However, it is only recently that hydrothermal inputs have gained recognition as a source of Fe to the deep oceans that may potentially affect surface ocean productivity in some regions. A compilation of iron measurements from hydrothermal vents reveals that although hydrothermal studies measuring iron have increased significantly in recent years, there is still a dearth of data below 40°S. New analytical approaches for tracing iron sources, coupled with increasing s ling coverage of the oceans, is quickly improving knowledge of the effect of hydrothermal sources on biogeochemical cycles, a vital component in predicting future climate scenarios.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-10-2022
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 10-03-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FMARS.2022.754517
Abstract: Hydrothermal iron supply contributes to the Southern Ocean carbon cycle via the regulation of regional export production. However, as hydrothermal iron input estimates are coupled to helium, which are uncertain depending on whether helium inputs are based on ridge spreading rates or inverse modelling, questions remain regarding the magnitude of the export production impacts. A particular challenge is the limited observations of dissolved iron (dFe) supply from the abyssal Southern Ocean ridge system to directly assess different hydrothermal iron supply scenarios. We combine ocean biogeochemical modelling with new observations of dFe from the abyssal Southern Ocean to assess the impact of hydrothermal iron supply estimated from either ridge spreading rate or inverse helium modelling on Southern Ocean export production. The hydrothermal contribution to dFe in the upper 250 m reduces 4–5 fold when supply is based on inverse modelling, relative to those based on spreading rate, translating into a 36–73% reduction in the impact of hydrothermal iron on export production. However, only the spreading rate input scheme reproduces observed dFe anomalies & nM around the circum-Antarctic ridge. The model correlation with observations drops 3 fold under the inverse modelling input scheme. The best dFe scenario has a residence time for hydrothermal iron that is between 21 and 34 years, highlighting the importance of rapid physical mixing to surface waters. Overall, because of its short residence time, hydrothermal Fe supplied locally by circum-Antarctic ridges is most important to the Southern Ocean carbon cycle and our results highlight decoupling between hydrothermal iron and helium supply.
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 25-09-2020
DOI: 10.1029/2020JC016286
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 11-2021
DOI: 10.1029/2020GB006921
Abstract: Despite widespread iron (Fe) limitation in the Southern Ocean, intense phytoplankton blooms are observed around productive coastal regions such as the Mertz Polynya (off George V Land and Adelie Land, East Antarctica 140–155°E). Sources of Fe across coastal East Antarctica vary, with limited data available for late summer months. We investigated the sources of dissolved Fe (dFe .2 μm) at 19 oceanographic stations in the Mertz Glacier Region (64–67°S 138–154°E), between January and March of 2019. Concentrations of dFe ranged from below detection limit (0.03 nM) at the surface, to 0.34 nM above the base of the mixed layer (35 m), reaching 0.59 nM at depth (520 m). Using oceanographic features and trace element ratios (manganese and titanium), we identified Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) and shelf sediment resuspension in modified CDW as contributors of dFe to the region over this period. Microbial Fe remineralization was evident where nutrient‐rich water met highly oxygenated waters over the continental shelf. Reduced Fe concentrations in the mixed layer and euphotic zones suggested rapid biological uptake prior to s ling. Despite proposals for pelagic Fe recycling by marine animals, preliminary investigations reveal no significant spatial relationship between animal presence and surface ocean Fe concentrations over the study area. Further research is required to identify seasonal changes to Fe supply in coastal areas which will strengthen our understanding of the Fe cycle and its influence on microbial and primary productivity in this globally significant region.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-04-2021
DOI: 10.1002/LNO.11772
Abstract: Manganese (Mn) is an abundant element in the Earth's crust. However, its concentrations in open ocean seawater are low, where external inputs are scarce. In this study, we report the dissolved Mn and particulate Mn distributions in the Southern Ocean, measured along the GEOTRACES—SR3 transect, from Tasmania (Australia) to Antarctica in the Southern Ocean, during the austral summer 2018. Both dissolved Mn and particulate Mn concentrations were generally low away from localized sources ( 0.3 nmol L −1 and 0.1 nmol L −1 , respectively) along the transect. Our observations of a lower labile particulate fraction than previously measured suggest the Southern Ocean has a unique particulate Mn composition. Low surface dissolved Mn concentrations were attributed to biological uptake and few external sources. Our results suggest biological control of the Mn cycle was higher above the Antarctic continental slope, compared to the rest of the section, and our particulate Mn : P ratios indicated the presence of iron‐stressed diatoms south of the Sub‐Antarctic Front. We suggest low dissolved Mn surface concentrations may (co‐)limit phytoplankton growth in this region. Localized higher dissolved Mn concentrations were observed due to external sources, such as sedimentary and hydrothermal inputs. The presence of an eddy at the same latitude as a hydrothermal plume induced an upwelling of hydrothermally enriched waters up to 1000 m however, no dissolved Mn inputs to the surface waters were observed. We suggest previous dissolved Mn inputs to the surface layer may be obscured by biological uptake.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2019
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 04-08-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FMARS.2022.948772
Abstract: The availability of iron (Fe) to marine microbial communities is enhanced through complexation by ligands. In Fe limited environments, measuring the distribution and identifying the likely sources of ligands is therefore central to understanding the drivers of marine productivity. Antarctic coastal marine environments support highly productive ecosystems and are influenced by numerous sources of ligands, the magnitude of which varies both spatially and seasonally. Using competitive ligand exchange adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-AdCSV) with 2-(2-thiazolylazo)- p -cresol (TAC) as a competing artificial ligand, this study investigates Fe-binding ligands (FeL) across the continental shelf break in the Mertz Glacier Region, East Antarctica (64 - 67°S 138 - 154°E) during austral summer of 2019. The average FeL concentration was 0.86 ± 0.5 nM Eq Fe, with strong conditional stability constants (Log K FeL ) averaging 23.1 ± 1.0. The strongest binding ligands were observed in modified circumpolar deep water (CDW), thought to be linked to bacterial Fe remineralisation and potential siderophore release. High proportions of excess unbound ligands (L’) were observed in surface waters, as a result of phytoplankton Fe uptake in the mixed layer and euphotic zone. However, FeL and L’ concentrations were greater at depth, suggesting ligands were supplied with dissolved Fe from upwelled CDW and particle remineralisation in benthic nepheloid layers over the shelf. Recent sea-ice melt appeared to support bacterial production in areas where Fe and ligands were exhausted. This study is included within our newly compiled Southern Ocean Ligand (SOLt) Collection, a database of publicly available Fe-binding ligand surveys performed south of 50°S. A review of the SOLt Collection brings attention to the paucity of ligand data collected along the East Antarctic coast and the difficulties in pinpointing sources of Fe and ligands in coastal environments. Elucidating poorly understood ligand sources is essential to predicting future Fe availability for microbial populations under rapid environmental change.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 15-07-2020
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 14-06-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-04-2020
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 08-2023
DOI: 10.1029/2022GB007613
Abstract: Manganese (Mn) is an essential element involved in photosynthesis, yet its concentrations in Southern Ocean open waters are very low, arising from biological uptake and limited external inputs. At southern latitudes, waters overlying the Antarctic shelf are expected to have much higher Mn concentrations due to their proximity to external sources. In this study, we investigated the potential export of Mn‐rich Antarctic shelf waters toward depleted open Southern Ocean waters. Our results showed that while high Mn concentrations were observed over the shelf, biological uptake decreased dissolved Mn concentrations in surface waters north of the South Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front ( .1 nmol kg −1 ), limiting its export. Conversely, mixing between Mn‐rich Antarctic Bottom Waters and Mn‐depleted Lower Circumpolar Deep Waters combined with oxidative and scavenging processes led to a decrease in dissolved Mn concentrations within bottom waters, with distance from the coast. Particulate Mn concentrations also showed a decreasing trend with distance from the coast. A comparison with other Antarctic coastal regions suggests this bottom water Mn removal may be widespread and that East Antarctica may be characterized by lower Mn concentrations compared to other regions. Still, subsurface dissolved Mn maxima (0.3–0.6 nmol kg −1 ) represented a potential reservoir for surface waters. We hypothesize that these high subsurface values result from external sources near the shelf. Overall, these results suggest that the moderate lateral export of trace metal‐enriched waters contributes to the extremely low and potentially limiting Mn concentrations previously reported further north in this Southern Ocean region.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.TALANTA.2019.01.047
Abstract: A seawater preconcentration system (seaFAST) with offline sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) detection was critically evaluated for ultra-low trace elemental analysis of Southern Ocean s les over a four-year period (2015-2018). The commercially available system employs two Nobias PA1 resin columns for buffer cleaning and s le preconcentration, allowing salt matrix removal with simultaneous extraction of a range of trace elements. With a primary focus on method simplicity and practicality, a range of experimental parameters relevant to oceanographic analysis were considered, including reduction of blank levels (over weeks and years), instrument conditioning, extraction efficiencies over different pH ranges (5.8-6.4), and preconcentration factors (~10-70 times). Conditions were optimised for the analysis of ten important trace elements (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ga, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti and Zn) in open ocean seawater s les, and included initial pre-cleaning and conditioning of the seaFAST unit for one week before each separate analytical sequence a controlled narrow buffer pH of 6.20 ± 0.02 used for extraction and a s le preconcentration factor of 10 for (relatively) concentrated rainwater or sea ice, 40 for typical seawater s les, and up to 67 times for seawater s les collected in the remote open ocean such as the Southern Ocean. Method accuracy (both short - days to weeks - and long term - months to years) were evaluated through extensive analysis of a range of oceanographic standard reference s les including SAFe D1 (n = 20), D2 (n = 3), S (n = 15), GEOTRACES GD (n = 6), GSC (n = 42) and GSP (n = 42), as well as NASS-6 (n = 6). Measured values for oceanographic s les were found to agree with consensus values to within ± 6% for Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn. Offsets were noted for Co (labile fraction only no UV oxidation), Mn (difference also noted in other recent studies) and Ti (limited reference values). No consensus values currently exist for Ga. Iron and Mn in Southern Ocean s les were also independently verified via flow injection analysis methods (R
Location: Australia
No related grants have been discovered for Thomas Holmes.