Project: Development and Intercomparison of Methodologies to Measure Dissolved Ferrous Iron in Seawater

NSF Award Abstract:

The trace metal iron is a key micronutrient throughout the oceans that plays an important role in regulating primary production. Iron (chemical symbol Fe) can exist in different ionization states in the environment, primarily as the reduced form Fe(II) and the oxidized form Fe(III), which impacts its chemical behavior within the water column, and ultimately the ability of researchers to accurately measure its abundance. There is an urgent need in the chemical oceanography community for accurate measurements of Fe(II) in the water column, as currently used methods may overestimate concentrations in water samples collected from certain depths. In this study, researchers from the University of Southern California will significantly redevelop an underutilized methodology to measure Fe(II), and carry out an evaluation and inter-comparison between the two methodologies. This work will enable the refinement of estimates of Fe(II) concentration, present a robust methodology for future use, and clarify conditions where the current methodology can be used effectively. This project will involve strong undergraduate research opportunities, and the research will be conducted in collaboration with an international researcher from India.

Fe(II) is thermodynamically unstable in seawater in the presence of oxygen or nitrate, yet its presence has been reported both in surface waters and in oxygen minimum zones. A rigorous assessment of Fe(II) measurements is important because its chemistry and bioavailability are so different than Fe(III). Fe(II) forms weak complexes, is weakly hydrolyzed and highly soluble in seawater. Fe(III) forms strong complexes, is sparingly soluble and strongly hydrolyzed. The presence of even a modest fraction of Fe as Fe(II) under Fe-limited conditions could increase bioavailability by orders of magnitude. The most widely used methodology to determine Fe(II) at nanomolar to sub-nanomolar levels involves the Fe(II) catalyzed oxidation of luminol, a chemiluminescent (CL) reaction. There are potential artifacts with this methodology, especially in the euphotic zone, where other reduced species might interfere. Researchers will develop a new, modified version of a published alternative method to CL involving the preconcentration of Fe(II) complexed by a synthetic chelator. While this alternative method is prone to artifacts and contamination that has limited its value in the open ocean, new approaches create a plausible path to an accurate and sensitive protocol that is independent of the luminol method. Following the new method development, this project will implement inter-comparisons with the CL approach, which will be conducted in the laboratory, in an anoxic mesocosm system, at a coastal time-series station off the California coast, and in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific.