One-third of Southern Ocean productivity is supported by dust deposition. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38750234/)

These scientists wanted to understand how dust blown by the wind into the Southern Ocean can affect the growth of tiny plants and animals living in the water. They collected data on the amount of a nutrient called nitrate in the ocean and used it to figure out how much iron from the dust was helping these tiny organisms grow.

By studying this relationship between dust and the growth of these tiny organisms, the scientists found that the dust-iron from the wind helps support about 33% of the growth of these organisms in the Southern Ocean today. They also looked at how much more impact the dust-iron had during a time called the last glacial maximum, when there was a lot more dust in the ocean.

Their study showed that during the last glacial maximum, the dust-iron was even more important, supporting about 64% of the growth of these tiny organisms. This research helps us understand how dust and iron in the ocean can affect the environment and climate over long periods of time, like from the ice age to now. It shows how dust plays a big role in the world's carbon cycle and climate.

Weis J., Chase Z., Schallenberg C., Strutton PG., Bowie AR., Fiddes SL. One-third of Southern Ocean productivity is supported by dust deposition. Nature. 2024 May;629(8012):603-608. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07366-4. Epub 2024 May 15.