近日，美国斯坦福大学Casey M. S. Schine团队研究了地震调节热液铁对南大洋净初级产量的影响。相关论文于2025年12月9日发表在《自然—地球科学》杂志上。

铁是南大洋浮游植物生长及随之产生的二氧化碳吸收的主要限制性营养元素。近期研究将澳大利亚南极海脊上反复出现的浮游植物水华归因于热液来源的铁。

研究组通过分析卫星遥感估算的净初级生产力数据、地震定位目录以及表层洋流中粒子轨迹的拉格朗日羽流模型，发现净初级生产力的年际变化与地震活动及下游表层海水的平流扩散相关。通过对地震活动、平流扩散与净初级生产力关系的空间分解，研究组证明热液喷口上方表层海水的净初级生产力可通过生长季前数月的地震活跃度进行预测。

在远离喷口的区域，更强的平流扩散会降低净初级生产力。研究组推测，地震活动通过影响热液排放进而调控初级生产力，而平流扩散则控制挟带铁元素的稀释程度；但热液铁能够快速上涌至表层的物理机制尚未明确。这些发现挑战了关于地球物理过程如何影响海洋初级生产力的主流观点。

附：英文原文

Title: Southern Ocean net primary production influenced by seismically modulated hydrothermal iron

Author: Schine, Casey M. S., Lund Snee, Jens-Erik, Lyford, Alex, van Dijken, Gert, Arrigo, Kevin R.

Issue&Volume: 2025-12-09

Abstract: Iron is the primary limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth, and consequently CO2 drawdown, in the Southern Ocean. A recurring phytoplankton bloom above the Australian Antarctic Ridge was recently attributed to hydrothermally sourced iron. Here we examine satellite remote-sensing estimates of net primary production, earthquake location catalogues and Lagrangian plume modelling of particle trajectories in surface ocean currents to show that interannual variability in net primary production is related to seismicity and the advective spread of downstream surface waters. By spatially decomposing the relationship between seismicity, advective spread and net primary production, we demonstrate that net primary production at the surface, above the hydrothermal vents, can be predicted by elevated seismicity in the months before the growing season. Farther from the vents, greater advective spread reduces net primary production. We hypothesize that the connection between earthquakes and net primary production is mediated by the link between seismicity and hydrothermal emissions while advective spread controls the dilution of entrained iron; however, the physical mechanism behind the rapid surfacing of hydrothermal iron is still unknown. These findings challenge prevailing views on how geophysical processes influence ocean primary production.

DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01862-6

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01862-6