Scientists from Florida State University and the University of California, Riverside have found that wind-blown sand from the Sahara Desert is a source of minerals for creating ocean life in the Atlantic. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
Iron bound to sand and soil particles in the Sahara is extracted by organisms as it is transported over long distances, the study found. The iron then becomes more soluble and available for use by phytoplankton.
To prove their theory, scientists used cores that were extracted from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Researchers analyzed the upper 60-200 meters of sediment. They accumulated over the past 120 thousand years.
During the study of the obtained materials, the proportions of iron found in the carbonate forms of this element, as well as hematite and other minerals that are formed from more bioreactive forms on the seabed, were determined.
As a result, the scientists confirmed that the iron becomes more bioreactive with increasing distance from Africa. This indicates that the iron is actively absorbed by phytoplankton before settling on the bottom.
