El proyecto FeRIA (acrónimo de su título en inglés: Fe Response In an Acidified ocean) comienza desde este mes de Septiembre. Es un proyecto de investigación que coordina y dirige el grupo QUIMA (IOCAG-ULPGC) y que ha sido financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación del Gobierno de España.
En esta entrada mostramos el resumen y objetivos del proyecto. En las próximas semanas iremos presentando los diferentes ejes y el equipo de investigación de FeRIA.
Fe Response In
an Acidified ocean (FeRIA)
Summary:
Acidification (OA) and warming (OW) processes in the ocean and their
effect on the biogeochemical cycles of trace metals can be studied from an
anthropogenic climate change or natural perspective. The first is a consequence
of anthropogenic CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and their transfer to the
ocean. The second, is due to the effect of gas emissions of hydrothermal and
volcanic origin. Both phenomena occur in the ocean, making it a natural
laboratory in which the effects of these processes can be investigated.
In this project, the behaviour of iron (Fe) under conditions of
acidification and heating will be studied, from both perspectives. Although
both processes generate acidification, the contribution of volcanic emissions
generates other chemical components that can modify the behaviour of Fe.
Iron is an essential element for the growth of organisms. In the
marine environment, we can find it as Fe(II) and Fe(III), being Fe(III) the
thermodynamically stable form, which is highly insoluble. However, organisms
cannot directly assimilate insoluble Fe, they need soluble Fe and mainly in the
form of Fe(II), hence the importance of knowing the speciation of Fe.
Since each oceanic region has specific properties, Fe(II) oxidation
processes are not uniform and will be affected not only by the
physical-chemical properties (pH, T, S, O2) of the environment but also by the
biogeochemical conditions (dissolved and particulate organic matter). Ocean
acidification contributes to reducing the rate of Fe(II) oxidation in the ocean
and therefore favours that Fe(II) can be available for a longer time. However,
the increase in temperature accelerates the oxidation of Fe(II). Organic
matter, depending on its characteristics and functional groups, can contribute
to speed up or slow down the oxidation process.
To achieve the project, a series of objectives have been proposed,
which can be summarized as:
- Study of the speciation of Fe in areas affected by acidification and
heating from both perspectives. The natural one (Fuencaliente and Tazacorte, La
Palma) and the one due to climate change (the areas of the
CARBOCAN Network, El Hierro, Gran Canaria and La Graciosa) and the ESTOC
station.
- Study of Fe (II) oxidation kinetics in environments of volcanic
origin focused on samples from the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
- Description and quantification of the diurnal cycle of Fe in
seawater and establishment of a reference station for trace metals in the
Canary region.
- Identification and characterization of the organic matter (Fe
Ligands, amino acids, polysaccharides and exopolymers) of the selected areas
and study of the interaction of Fe with individual identified organic
compounds.
- Modelling of a global equation from which to calculate the oxidation
rate constant of Fe (II) in the ocean.
These studies will make it possible to formulate:
(1) whether regions
affected by volcanic emissions can be used as a model for regions in which
acidification and warming are caused only by anthropogenic climatic effects,
and
(2) whether the persistence of Fe (II) in the marine environment is
controlled by the same factors.
The Spanish Ministry has granted us the FeRIA project (PID2021-123997NB-I00).