Key Points
A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science reveals that iron-rich dust from the Sahara Desert becomes more biologically available to marine organisms as it travels across the Atlantic Ocean...
In many parts of the world's oceans, iron availability often limits biological productivity..
The new research, led by Dr. Jeremy Owens from Florida State University, demonstrates that the longer Saharan dust travels, the more bioreactive its iron content becomes.. ..
"We show that iron bound to dust from the Sahara blown westward over the Atlantic has properties that change with the distance traveled: the greater this distance, the more bioreactive the iron," explained Dr..
Timothy Lyons, a co-author from the University of California at Riverside, emphasised the significance of these findings: "Dust that reaches regions like the Amazonian basin and the Bahamas may contain iron that is particularly soluble and available to life, thanks to the great distance from North Africa, and thus a longer exposure to atmospheric chemical processes."..
