With three participants from Constructor University as part of the scientific party of RV Sonne, this research cruise will study the distribution of trace metals and their isotopes across the Indian Ocean. The research of the team of the Constructor University will focus on groups of under-studied trace metals that show very different behavior in the ocean: Conservative elements such as molybdenum and uranium, which typically have a rather homogenous distribution in the water column, highly reactive elements that tend to bind to sinking particles, such as zirconium and hafnium, so-called redox-sensitive metals that can change their oxidation states depending on the oxygen content of the water column, such as chromium, vanadium and manganese, and the role of the binding of organic molecules to biologically relevant metals such as copper and iron. While many of these metals are now increasingly used in modern technologies such as the green energy sector, there is growing concern of anthropogenic input in the ocean while we still haven’t fully understood their behavior in the natural environment. Our team will study these metals under the aspects of terrestrial input into the coastal regions via rivers and dust, hydrothermal input at the Indian Ridge system, oxygen depletion and variable nutrient supplies across the whole cruise transect between Durban (South Africa) to Perth (Australia).
For more information, see the press release by GEOMAR: https://www.geomar.de/news/article?tx_news_pi1%5baction%5d=detail&tx_news_pi1%5bcontroller%5d=News&tx_news_pi1%5bactbackPid%5d=12123&tx_news_pi1%5bbackPid%5d=12123&tx_news_pi1%5bnews%5d=9661
And follow along their journey with the cruise blog: https://www.oceanblogs.org/so308-geotraces-g107/
