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© 2019 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.From June to August 2018, the eruption of Kīlauea volcano on the island of Hawai'i injected millions of cubic meters of molten lava into the nutrient-poor waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The lava-impacted seawater was characterized by high concentrations of metals and nutrients that stimulated phytoplankton growth, resulting in an extensive plume of chlorophyll a that was detectable by satellite. Chemical and molecular evidence revealed that this biological response hinged on unexpectedly high concentrations of nitrate, despite the negligible quantities of nitrogen in basaltic lava. We hypothesize that the high nitrate was caused by buoyant plumes of nutrient-rich deep waters created by the substantial input of lava into the ocean. This large-scale ocean fertilization was therefore a unique perturbation event that revealed how marine ecosystems respond to exogenous inputs of nutrients.
Author(s): Wilson ST, Hawco NJ, Armbrust EV, Barone B, Bjorkman KM, Boysen AK, Burgos M, Burrell TJ, Casey JR, DeLong EF, Dugenne M, Dutkiewicz S, Dyhrman ST, Ferron S, Follows MJ, Foreman RK, Funkey CP, Harke MJ, Henke BA, Hill CN, Hynes AM, Ingalls AE, Jahn O, Kelly RL, Knapp AN, Letelier RM, Ribalet F, Shimabukuro EM, Tabata RKS, Turk-Kubo KA, White AE, Zehr JP, John S, Karl DM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Science
Year: 2019
Volume: 365
Issue: 6457
Pages: 1040-1044
Print publication date: 06/09/2019
Online publication date: 06/09/2019
Acceptance date: 17/07/2019
ISSN (print): 0036-8075
ISSN (electronic): 1095-9203
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
URL: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax4767
DOI: 10.1126/science.aax4767
PubMed id: 31488692
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