Rocks at the bottom of the deep ocean provide marine food chains with vital nutrients
March 27 (UPI) -- Marine food chains are fueled by nutrients from decaying rocks located thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean. According to a new study, published this week in the journal PNAS, phytoplankton and marine algae, which form the bases of aquatic food webs, rely on nitrogen released from sediments on the floor of the deep ocean. Advertisement Previously, scientists have argued oxygen in the deep ocean prevents dissolved iron from escaping eroded seabed rocks. The latest findings suggest the opposite is true -- oxygen and organic matter in the deep ocean may actually aid the release of nitrogen from marine sediments. "Our findings reveal that the shallow surface of the deep seafloor provides an important source of iron -- a scarce micronutrient -- for the ocean," le...
