Project: Trace metals and metal-binding ligands in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

The concentrations and bioavailability of trace metals influence marine food web productivity and structure, and are an integral component of ocean biogeochemistry. The Gulf of Mexico is a semi-enclosed basin, and trace metal concentrations in these waters appear to be heavily impacted by margin sources including rivers, continental shelf sediments and seasonal dust deposition, though much of the basin remains understudied for trace metals. In the eastern Gulf of Mexico specifically, dust-derived iron (Fe) has been hypothesized to play a role in the development of harmful algal blooms of Karenia brevis. Sources and cycling of trace metals within the eastern Gulf of Mexico may also impact the North Atlantic via Loop Current-Gulf Stream circulation connections. This project examines spatial and temporal variability in the concentrations of Fe and other bioactive trace metals across the West Florida Shelf in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.