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Particulate Trace Metal Composition and Sources in the Kuroshio Adjacent to the East China Sea: The Importance of Aerosol Deposition
Author(s) -
Liao WenHsuan,
Ho TungYuan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1029/2018jc014113
Subject(s) - particulates , trace metal , deposition (geology) , aerosol , environmental chemistry , environmental science , scavenging , oceanography , composition (language) , seawater , surface water , metal , geology , chemistry , environmental engineering , meteorology , geography , sediment , linguistics , philosophy , organic chemistry , paleontology , biochemistry , antioxidant
The Kuroshio, flowing through the eastern end of the East China Sea, transports terrestrial material to the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. Along the Kuroshio path, we collected size‐fractionated suspended particles in the upper 200 m to investigate the composition and sources of particulate trace metals. Demonstrated by Al‐ and P‐normalized elemental ratios, we found that anthropogenic aerosol deposition was the major source of most particulate trace metals in the Kuroshio region although the impact of bottom resuspension and riverine input may be significant at some specific regions. As seen in our previous studies in the South China Sea and the Western Philippine Sea, this study concluded that anthropogenic aerosol deposition is the dominant particulate trace metal source in the surface water of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas. Compared to particulate trace metal composition obtained in other open oceans, we found that the distribution patterns of particulate trace metal composition in the surface waters are closely associated with aerosol deposition fluxes. In regions with low deposition, the particulate trace metal concentrations were extremely low and metal to P ratios were all comparable to their intracellular quota previously proposed. In regions with high deposition, metal to P ratios were highly elevated in comparison to their intracellular quota and metal to Al ratios were deviated from lithogenic ratios to various extents. The globally consistent distribution patterns validate trace metal stoichiometry concept in plankton intracellularly and the primary role of aerosol deposition on deciding particulate trace metal composition in oceanic surface water globally.