The middle of the Earth’s oceans are filled with vast systems of rotating currents known as subtropical gyres.
The middle of the Earth’s oceans are filled with vast systems of rotating currents known as subtropical gyres. These regions occupy 40% of the Earth’s surface and have long been considered remarkably stable biological deserts, with little variation in chemical makeup or the nutrients needed to sustain life.
However, there exists a strange anomaly in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre ecosystem that has puzzled scientists for years. In this region that occupies the Pacific Ocean between China and the United States, the chemistry changes periodically. There’s a particularly notable fluctuation in the levels of phosphorus and iron, which affects the overall nutrient composition and ultimately impacts biological productivity.
In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group of researchers uncovered the reason behind these variations in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre ecosystem. The group includes Matthew Church, a microbial ecologist with the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station, as well as Oregon State University’s Ricardo Letelier and the University of Hawaii’s David Karl, among others.
Read more at The University of Montana
Image: Matthew Church, a researcher with UM’s Flathead Lake Biological Station, helped discover why phosphorus and iron levels fluctuate in part of the Pacific Ocean. CREDIT: The University of Montana
