Persistent equatorial Pacific iron limitation under ENSO forcing

Thomas J. Browning (), Mak A. Saito, Shungudzemwoyo P. Garaba, Xuechao Wang, Eric P. Achterberg, C. Mark Moore, Anja Engel, Matthew R. Mcllvin, Dawn Moran, Daniela Voss, Oliver Zielinski and Alessandro Tagliabue
Additional contact information
Thomas J. Browning: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Mak A. Saito: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Shungudzemwoyo P. Garaba: University of Oldenburg
Xuechao Wang: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Eric P. Achterberg: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
C. Mark Moore: University of Southampton
Anja Engel: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Matthew R. Mcllvin: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Dawn Moran: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Daniela Voss: University of Oldenburg
Oliver Zielinski: University of Oldenburg
Alessandro Tagliabue: University of Liverpool

Nature, 2023, vol. 621, issue 7978, 330-335

Abstract: Abstract Projected responses of ocean net primary productivity to climate change are highly uncertain1. Models suggest that the climate sensitivity of phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the low-latitude Pacific Ocean plays a crucial role1–3, but this is poorly constrained by observations4. Here we show that changes in physical forcing drove coherent fluctuations in the strength of equatorial Pacific iron limitation through multiple El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycles, but that this was overestimated twofold by a state-of-the-art climate model. Our assessment was enabled by first using a combination of field nutrient-addition experiments, proteomics and above-water hyperspectral radiometry to show that phytoplankton physiological responses to iron limitation led to approximately threefold changes in chlorophyll-normalized phytoplankton fluorescence. We then exploited the >18-year satellite fluorescence record to quantify climate-induced nutrient limitation variability. Such synoptic constraints provide a powerful approach for benchmarking the realism of model projections of net primary productivity to climate changes.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06439-0

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