Dissolved Fe(II) in the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone and western tropical Indian Ocean during the inter-monsoon period

The concentration of iron(II) (Fe(II)) in seawater was investigated throughout the water column in the Arabian Sea and western tropical Indian Ocean including the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) as part of the 2009 Japanese GEOTRACES cruise using a luminol-chemiluminescence detection based flow injection analysis technique. A novel modification was the adjustment of the sample pH to 7.2 with a 3-(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid (MOPS) buffer to minimize Fe(II) oxidation during sampling. At stations in the Arabian Sea OMZ, Fe(II) had subsurface maxima in the oxygen-deficient and high nitrite layers; fully 7–29% of total dissolved Fe existed as Fe(II) in these samples. Subsurface Fe(II) maxima were not observed in stations south of the oxygen minimum zone. Within the OMZ, the distribution of Fe(II) resembled previous data obtained during the 2004 southwest monsoon, indicating that the Fe(II) maxima are seasonally and interannually persistent feature. These results confirm the close relationship between Fe(II) and the secondary nitrite maxima and suggest that the rich microbial community within this feature is closely involved with Fe redox cycling. Fe(II) concentrations near the seafloor were elevated in locations underlying the OMZ but nowhere else, possibly reflecting inputs from reducing sediments. To the south, a clear maximum in dissolved Fe from the Rodriguez Triple Junction hydrothermal system showed no evidence of Fe(II). The center location of the Rodriguez Triple Junction is 25° 35′S, 70° 00′E (Gamo et al., 2001), more than 800 km southwest of station ER10 (the closest station), so hydrothermally-derived Fe(II) was probably oxidized.

► We investigate Fe(II) distribution in the Arabian Sea and western tropical Indian Ocean. ► Lowering sample pH to 7.2 with MOPS buffer is useful for on board Fe(II) analysis. ► Fe(II) has subsurface maxima in the oxygen-deficient and high nitrite layers. ► Fe(II) concentration near the seafloor was elevated in the oxygen minimum zone. ► Deep waters outside the oxygen minimum zone show no detectable Fe(II).