Two scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will determine the flux and cycling of minor and trace elements within the twilight zone (150-500 m depth) using particulate and dissolved samples recovered from Station ALOHA and K2 in the North Pacific Ocean. The focus of the study will be on bioactive elements (Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Sr, Zn), pollutant elements (Pb, Hg), and crustal, normalizing elements (Al, Ti, Sc). Particulate samples include sinking particles recovered from neutrally buoyant sediment traps (NBSTs) and surface tethered, drogue arrays ("Clap" traps), suspended particles from in-situ pumps, and dissolved samples from Go-FLO Niskin casts. The geochemical data from this study will help constrain elemental cycles, characterize the nature of particle formation, track particle diagenesis during sinking, and test export models.
As regards broader impacts, this study adds a much needed trace metal component to the VERTIGO (VERtical Fluxes in the Global Ocean) Program and, in turn, benefits from the abundant physical, chemical (major elements), and biological data collected as part of the project. International collaborations between scientists from the United States, New Zealand, Belgium, India and Japan will continue to be forged.
