Dissolved trace metals (Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn) in the eastern Indian Ocean

Abstract

The distribution of trace metal micronutrients, which are crucial in many biotic enzymatic reactions, in the eastern Indian Ocean is not well understood. Here, we measured the concentrations of dissolved iron (dFe), manganese (dMn), lead (dPb), cadmium (dCd), copper (dCu), and zinc (dZn) at full depth in the water column of the eastern Indian Ocean (from the Bay of Bengal to the south of the equator). Throughout, dFe was replete in the surface mixed layer (SML). Moreover, the supply of dFe from below the SML and atmospheric deposition met the phytoplankton demand. In the thermocline, the subsurface maxima of dFe coincided with the dissolved oxygen (DO) minima. In addition, the distribution of Fe* in the Bay of Bengal indicated an additional input of dFe into the water column, apart from the biogenic organic particle regeneration. Unlike dFe, other trace metals were not enriched in the oxygen minimum zone, indicating that high Fe* value was caused by the release of dFe from the estuary or continental shelf under oxic conditions. In deep water, dFe, dMn, and dPb levels were low, whereas dCd, dCu, and dZn concentrations increased with depth. However, dFe and dMn levels were elevated in coastal bottom waters, where Fe* values were also high, indicating the supply of these metals from external sources. Exploring the relationship between trace metals and phosphate at the thermocline illustrated how oxygen-deficient conditions in the Bay of Bengal affect trace metal (dCd in particular) and phosphate ratios, compared with the global trend.