Biogeochemical modelling of the tropical Pacific Ocean. II: Iron biogeochemistry

A coupled physical–biogeochemical model of the tropical Pacific Ocean with simultaneous iron and nitrogen limitation was developed to study questions of iron biogeochemistry, its effects on upper ocean production, and ultimately the biogeochemical cycles of the other elements. The model results suggest that iron limitation is ubiquitous in the equatorial Pacific, and extends further west than is generally believed unless there are significant inputs of geothermal iron at quite shallow depths. Most model parameters (e.g., iron solubility, scavenging rates, Fe : N ratios) must be near the limit of their generally accepted range of values in order to prevent elevated surface nitrate concentrations from spreading further into the warm pool than is observed. Transport of geothermal iron in the equatorial undercurrent (EUC) provides a possible mechanism for limiting surface nitrate in the warm pool, but the source must be near the upper boundary of the EUC to provide iron to the surface west of the dateline. Accumulations of ammonium in the western Pacific appear to result from the exhaustion of iron in upwelled water before nitrogen. The realism of the simulation is limited primarily by lack of information about the abundance and distribution of dissolved iron; the assumption of constant Fe : N ratios and the magnitude, distribution and solubility of the aeolian iron flux are also important sources of uncertainty. The sensitivity of the simulation to the way that iron is initialized in the western Pacific thermocline emphasizes the importance of the equatorial undercurrent throughout the tropical Pacific and the need for iron observations in this region.