南极冰川融化给海洋带来的铁比想象的少得多,降低了其在自然吸收碳方面的作用。 Antarctic glacial melt contributes far less iron to the ocean than thought, reducing its role in natural carbon absorption.

一项新的研究表明,南极冰川融化对南大洋的铁含量远低于先前的想象,这破坏了冰川融化会自然地通过浮游植物繁衍增加碳吸收的想法。 A new study reveals that melting Antarctic glaciers contribute far less iron to the Southern Ocean than previously thought, undermining the idea that glacial melt could naturally boost carbon absorption through phytoplankton blooms. 研究人员发现,只有大约10%的溶解铁来自融化水,大部分铁来自深海流入和大陆架沉积物。 Researchers found only about 10% of dissolved iron comes from meltwater, with most iron originating from deep ocean inflows and shelf sediments. 铁可能来自在冰层下研磨的基岩而不是冰本身,缺氧的融水层限制了铁的释放。 Iron likely comes from bedrock grinding beneath the ice, not the ice itself, and the oxygen-poor meltwater layer limits iron release. 这些研究结果挑战了假定冰川铁肥化有助于缓解气候变化的气候模型,表明融冰产生的天然碳汇比预期的要小得多。 These findings challenge climate models that assume glacial iron fertilization helps mitigate climate change, suggesting natural carbon sinks from melting ice are far smaller than expected.