1,738 publications from this institution
We present the elemental composition (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, V, Zn, and P) of field‐collected Trichodesmium populations. To distinguish the effects of river discharges (Amazon and Niger Rivers) and Saharan dust deposition on metal concentrations in the colonies, samples were collected both in the western (February 2001, July‐August 2001, and April‐May 2003) and eastern (May‐June 2003) basins of the North Atlantic. Metal composition (medians normalized to P) in Trichodesmium ranged from 0.011 mmol mol −1 for Co to 39 mmol mol −1 for Fe and varied over an order of magnitude among different locations. A comparison of metal ratios measured in the Trichodesmium colonies with ratios reported for the potential sources suggests that the most important sources of trace metals to the tropical and subtropical Atlantic during our sampling were the Amazon and Niger Rivers, rather than dust deposition from the Sahara.
You have probably heard that plastic pollution is becoming a big problem for the environment, and especially for the oceans. When a piece of plastic reaches the sea, the seawater and sunlight make it slowly fall apart into tiny plastic particles. These small particles are called microplastics and are even smaller than a ladybug—and sometimes not even visible. Scientists have found that many marine animals mistake these microplastics for food and eat them! But what about the animals in coral reefs? Many animals in reefs, including corals and giant clams, are fixed to the bottom of the sea and cannot move. So, they cannot escape from the microplastics that are literally “raining down” on them. Recently, we discovered that many of these coral reef animals are not only eating the microplastics, but the plastics can also stick on their bodies like flies on flypaper!
