Kīlauea lava fuels phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Ocean
Ocean greening off Hawai'i
From June to August 2018, the eruption of Kīlauea volcano triggered a diatom-dominated phytoplankton bloom. Wilson et al. set sail to sample the plume, deploying subsea gliders and using satellite monitoring to measure the dynamics of this rare event in the nutrient-poor Pacific (see the Perspective by Ducklow and Plank). They found subsurface chlorophyll maxima not visible by remote sensing, performed transcriptome and N isotope marker analysis, and measured nutrients, partitioning of biomass into different organisms, and primary production. Much of the data are corroborated by physical modeling of the ocean dynamics. The authors conclude that the plume was fed by the lava heating subsurface water and triggering upwelling of deepwater nutrients to the surface rather than by direct injection of micronutrients from lava.
Abstract
From June to August 2018, the eruption of Kīlauea volcano on the island of Hawai‘i injected millions of cubic meters of molten lava into the nutrient-poor waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The lava-impacted seawater was characterized by high concentrations of metals and nutrients that stimulated phytoplankton growth, resulting in an extensive plume of chlorophyll a that was detectable by satellite. Chemical and molecular evidence revealed that this biological response hinged on unexpectedly high concentrations of nitrate, despite the negligible quantities of nitrogen in basaltic lava. We hypothesize that the high nitrate was caused by buoyant plumes of nutrient-rich deep waters created by the substantial input of lava into the ocean. This large-scale ocean fertilization was therefore a unique perturbation event that revealed how marine ecosystems respond to exogenous inputs of nutrients.
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Supplementary Material
Summary
Materials and Methods
Supplementary Text
Figs. S1 to S11
Table S1
Movie S1
Data S1 to S3
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References and Notes
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Science
Volume 365 | Issue 6457
6 September 2019
6 September 2019
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Copyright © 2019 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.
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Submission history
Received: 5 April 2019
Accepted: 17 July 2019
Published in print: 6 September 2019
Acknowledgments
The dataset presented here resulted from the efforts of many individuals who contributed to the success of the KOK1806 expedition. We thank T. Clemente, S. Poulos, H. Ramm, B. Watkins, G. Foreman, O. Sosa, and A. Vislova for assistance with cruise planning and onboard activity. L. Fujieki processed the hydrographic data, D. Sadler analyzed DIC samples, and K. Babcock analyzed particulate Si and low-level nitrogen. The altimetry and wind products were obtained from the Copernicus Marine and Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) (http://marine.copernicus.eu) and the remote chlorophyll images were obtained by MODIS (https://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov and https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov). The GlobColour data (http://globcolour.info) used in this study were developed, validated, and distributed by ACRI-ST, France. We appreciate comments from C. German (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) and University of Hawai’i colleagues including F. Sansone, B. Hubert, H. Dulai, and S. Rowland. Funding: Supported by Simons Foundation grants 329108 (D.M.K., E.F.D., E.V.A., S.T.D., M.J.F., A.E.I., A.E.W., J.P.Z., S.J.), 574495 (F.R.), and 602538 (N.H.); Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant 3794 and the Balzan Prize for Oceanography (D.M.K.); and NSF grants OCE-1842012 (D.M.K. and E.F.D.), OCE-1756524 (S.T.W.), and OCE-1537314 (A.N.K.). The modeling component was supported by NASA grant 80NSSC17K0561 (O.J., S.D., and C.N.H.). Author contributions: D.M.K. and E.F.D. initiated expedition planning and implementation. R.M.L. provided satellite observations. S.T.W. led the expedition and post-cruise organization. N.J.H., R.L.K., and S.J. led the trace elemental measurements. M.D. and A.E.W. led the underway optics, IFCB, and chlorophyll measurements. E.M.S. operated the SeaFlow. F.R., A.M.H., and G.V.H. processed and curated the data. M.B., S.F., K.M.B., and S.T.W. conducted the rate measurements including 18O-GPP, 14C assimilation, microbial respiration, and nitrogen fixation. R.K.F., C.P.F., and K.M.B. led the nutrient analyses. T.J.B., R.T., and J.R.C. led the majority of the water column biogeochemical sampling. A.N.K. analyzed the nitrate isotopes. M.J.H. and S.T.D. measured the eukaryote metatranscriptomics. A.K.B. and A.E.I. measured the metabolites. S.D., O.J., M.J.F., and C.N.H. conducted the MITgcm, DARWIN, and OSCAR modeling. K.A.T.-K., B.A.H., and J.P.Z. measured nifH abundances. B.B. analyzed the SeaGlider data. S.T.W. and N.J.H. co-wrote the manuscript with contributions from all authors. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Data and materials availability: Data and pertinent methodologies are provided in the supplementary materials. The hydrographic and biogeochemical datasets are freely available online at http://scope.soest.hawaii.edu. The eukaryote metatranscriptomic sequence data are deposited in the Sequence Read Archive through the National Center for Biotechnology Information under accession number PRJNA529177.
Authors
Funding Information
National Science Foundation: 1842012
National Science Foundation: 1756524
National Science Foundation: 1537314
National Aeronautics and Space Administration: 80NSSC17K0561
Simons Foundation: 329108
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