Physical oceanography and meteorological measurements in Potter Cove, King George Island, West Antarctic Peninsula during austral summer 2010/2011

Sediment ablation is an additional source of iron for this high-nutrient low-chlorophyll region. In Potter Cove, King George Island, meltwater streams discharge up to 18 000 mg/l (average 283 mg/l) of slightly weathered, finely ground bedrock particles into coastal waters during the summer.

Approximately 15% of this SPM is exported within a low-salinity surface plume into Bransfield Strait. Based on our data, an estimated 12 mg/m**2/yr of FeA is exported from the South Shetland Island land surface (ice-free and subglacial areas) to the surrounding coastal waters. Extrapolated to an area of 2.5x104 km**2, this FeA input is comparable to the contribution from icebergs and c. 240-fold higher than aeolian input via dust.