Potential for atmospheric acid processing of mineral dust to supply bioavailable trace metals to the oceans

Anthony Stockdale; Michael D. Krom

doi:10.1071/EN23117

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Previous Contents Vol 21(3)

Potential for atmospheric acid processing of mineral dust to supply bioavailable trace metals to the oceans

Anthony Stockdale

^A ^* and Michael D. Krom ^B ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.

^B School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.

^C Morris Kahn Marine Station, Charney School of Marine Sciences, Haifa University, Rehov Aba Koushy, Haifa, Israel.

^* Correspondence to: anthony.stockdale@manchester.ac.uk

Handling Editor: Stephen Lofts

Environmental Chemistry 21, EN23117 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN23117

Submitted: 14 November 2023 Accepted: 17 May 2024 Published: 18 June 2024

Abstract

Environmental context

Mineral dust is an important external source of trace metals to the offshore ocean. Dust exposure to acids is a significant driver of the release of dissolved trace elements. This study provides an analysis of mineral dust interaction with acid, as a proxy for atmospheric processes. An insight is given into the processes that may occur in the atmosphere where desert dust may add nutrient or toxic metals to oceans.

Abstract

Trace metal concentrations in oceans are influenced by several factors including biogeochemical cycling effects on distributions, concentrations and speciation. The major input of trace metals (and P) to the surface waters of the offshore ocean is mineral dust, predominantly from desert regions. This dust can be subject to acid processing in the atmosphere due to the presence of anthropogenic acidic gases (oxides of nitrogen and sulfur), potentially making trace metals more bioavailable when dust is deposited in the oceans. Here we present a study on the release of trace metals from a desert dust when exposed to a series of acid addition treatments. Al, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn and Pb are preferentially leached from the dust only when the calcite phase has been exhausted and the pH is no longer buffered at circumneutral values. Further acid additions quickly released the majority of leachable trace metals, although lower concentrations of most metals continue to be leached with further acid addition cycles. This contrasts with the behaviour of Ca and P, where in prior work it had been shown that dissolution mirrors closely the addition of protons to mineral surfaces demonstrating the related but contrasting processes for trace element dissolution.

Keywords: atmospheric processing, bioavailability, biogeochemistry, desert dust, metal leaching, nutrients, ocean chemistry, trace metals.

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