COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – While the waters of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica have been cold and unforgiving for centuries, parts of it are full of life. Phytoplankton, also known as microalgae, is the base of the marine food web.
These organisms provide nutrients for many different species. Microalgae feed on iron; however, the Southern Ocean is so large that iron can be hard to find. Dr. Casey Schine, a Postdoctoral researcher at Middlebury College, says, “Iron mostly comes from dust inputs from the wind, picking up dust on the continents and depositing it in the ocean.”
Dr. Schine notes that global dust patterns aren’t enough to account for these massive blooms that thrive in the Southern Ocean. Instead, previously published research suggests hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor promote these blooms…