Metals galore in deep Earth,
But at the sea surface, a dearth.
Iron is key
For greening the sea …
To planktic cells, gold has less worth.
Whence this precious resource?
Isotopes hint at the source.
Dust takes the lead,
While vents slowly bleed,
Could inputs affect climate’s course?
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Further reading:
Ocean chemistry: Fingerprints of a trace nutrient, Resing and Barrett, Nature 2014
Quantification of dissolved iron sources to the North Atlantic Ocean, Conway and John, Nature 2014
This is one in a series of poems written by Katherine Allen, a researcher in geochemistry and paleoclimate at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
