Understanding the impacts of increased dissolved iron on coastal polar ecosystems

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Coastal zones of the North and South poles produce and support large numbers of organisms ranging from marine plants to seals and have proved to be very productive. This is driven by the availability of dissolved iron from glaciers. An increase in glacier melting in polar regions results in an increase in iron concentrations. This increase fuels intense phytoplankton blooms and enables organisms inhabiting the seafloor to capture more carbon and other nutrients. These changes can have impacts on the region’s marine ecosystem’s structure and on carbon sequestration. These wide-ranging effects require further investigation.