Abstract
Fish have been shown to produce high (10 to 48mol %) magnesium calcite as part of the physiological mechanisms responsible for maintaining salt and water balance. The importance of this source to the marine carbon cycle is only now being considered. In this paper, we report the first measurements of the solubility of this CaCO3 in seawater. The resulting solubility (pK*sp=5.89±0.09) is approximately two times higher than aragonite and similar to the high magnesium calcite generated on the Bahamas Banks (pK*sp=5.90). This high solubility of fish-produced CaCO3 is a result of the high magnesium content and not a product of micro-environments created by microbial activity. This material is soluble in near surface waters, contributing to the input of carbonate to surface ocean waters, and may at least partially explain the observed increase in total alkalinity above the aragonite saturation horizon.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | C04018 |
| Journal | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
| Volume | 117 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2012 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geochemistry and Petrology
- Geophysics
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Space and Planetary Science
- Oceanography
Cite this
The solubility of fish-produced high magnesium calcite in seawater. / Woosley, Ryan J.; Millero, Frank J; Grosell, Martin.
In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Vol. 117, No. 4, C04018, 01.01.2012.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The solubility of fish-produced high magnesium calcite in seawater
AU - Woosley, Ryan J.
AU - Millero, Frank J
AU - Grosell, Martin
PY - 2012/1/1
Y1 - 2012/1/1
N2 - Fish have been shown to produce high (10 to 48mol %) magnesium calcite as part of the physiological mechanisms responsible for maintaining salt and water balance. The importance of this source to the marine carbon cycle is only now being considered. In this paper, we report the first measurements of the solubility of this CaCO3 in seawater. The resulting solubility (pK*sp=5.89±0.09) is approximately two times higher than aragonite and similar to the high magnesium calcite generated on the Bahamas Banks (pK*sp=5.90). This high solubility of fish-produced CaCO3 is a result of the high magnesium content and not a product of micro-environments created by microbial activity. This material is soluble in near surface waters, contributing to the input of carbonate to surface ocean waters, and may at least partially explain the observed increase in total alkalinity above the aragonite saturation horizon.
AB - Fish have been shown to produce high (10 to 48mol %) magnesium calcite as part of the physiological mechanisms responsible for maintaining salt and water balance. The importance of this source to the marine carbon cycle is only now being considered. In this paper, we report the first measurements of the solubility of this CaCO3 in seawater. The resulting solubility (pK*sp=5.89±0.09) is approximately two times higher than aragonite and similar to the high magnesium calcite generated on the Bahamas Banks (pK*sp=5.90). This high solubility of fish-produced CaCO3 is a result of the high magnesium content and not a product of micro-environments created by microbial activity. This material is soluble in near surface waters, contributing to the input of carbonate to surface ocean waters, and may at least partially explain the observed increase in total alkalinity above the aragonite saturation horizon.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84859891018&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1029/2011JC007599
DO - 10.1029/2011JC007599
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84859891018
VL - 117
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
SN - 2169-9275
IS - 4
M1 - C04018
ER -