RT journal article
T1 The contribution of penguin guano to the Southern Ocean iron pool
A1 Belyaev, Oleg
A1 Sparaventi, Erica
A1 Navarro, Gabriel
A1 Rodríguez Romero, Araceli
A1 Tovar Sánchez, Antonio
A2 Química Analítica
K1 Animals
K1 Antarctic Regions
K1 Biomass
K1 Euphausiacea
K1 Oceans and Seas
K1 Spheniscidae
AB Iron plays a crucial role in the high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll Southern Ocean regions, promoting phytoplankton growth and enhancing atmospheric carbon sequestration. In this area, iron-rich Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and baleen whale species, which are among their main predators, play a large role in the recycling of iron. However, penguins have received limited attention despite their representing the largest seabird biomass in the southern polar region. Here, we use breeding site guano volumes estimated from drone images, deep learning-powered penguin census, and guano chemical composition to assess the iron export to the Antarctic waters from one of the most abundant penguin species, the Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus). Our results show that these seabirds are a relevant contributor to the iron remobilization pool in the Southern Ocean. With an average guano concentration of 3 mg iron g−1, we estimate that the Chinstrap penguin population is recycling 521 tonnes iron yr−1, representing the current iron contribution half of the amount these penguins were able to recycle four decades ago, as they have declined by more than 50% since then
PB Springer
SN 2041-1723
YR 2023
FD 2023-04-11
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/29612
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/29612
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 12-nov-2026