Opal-associated particulate phosphorus: Implications for the marine P cycle

Previous attempts to evaluate ocean P mass balance and residence time have utilized sequential extraction techniques to isolate and analyze P associated with Fe and Mn oxides and oxyhydroxides, authigenic minerals, detrital, and organic phases. However, in many oceanographic settings, diatoms are the primary producers, and the traditional sequential extraction protocol does not result in complete dissolution of diatom frustules and may not liberate all of the opal intrinsic P associated with the frustules themselves. By adding an opal dissolution step to the end of the extraction protocol, additional P was liberated from the sediments, suggesting that there is an opal-associated P fraction that likely contributes to total reactive P concentrations. In opal-rich sediments, the opal-associated P fraction averages as much as 50-60% of extractable P, and total reactive P concentrations are often more than double when the opal-associated P fraction is included. The presence of opal-intrinsic P potentially has significant implications for ocean P mass balance and residence time of P in the oceans. For example, P burial has possibly been underestimated in settings dominated by diatoms. Additionally, consideration of a significant sedimentary opal-P component suggests that the residence time of P in the oceans may be even shorter than currently suspected.