Organic Complexation of Dissolved Copper and Iron from Shipboard Incubations in the Central California Current System: Investigating the Impacts of Light Conditions and Phytoplankton Growth on Iron- and Copper-Binding Ligand Characteristics

Two shipboard incubation experiments were carried out in July of 2014 to investigate potential sources and sinks of iron- and copper-binding organic ligands in the surface ocean. Seawater for the experiments was collected from the central California Current System (cCCS) and incubated under varying light conditions and in the presence and absence of natural phytoplankton communities. Incubation treatments were sampled over a period of up to 3 days for measurements of total dissolved copper and iron, and for the concentration and conditional stability constants of copper- and iron-binding organic ligands. Dissolved copper and iron were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following preconcentration on a Nobias PA1 resin. Organic ligand characteristics for iron and copper were determined using a method of competitive ligand exchange-absorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-ACSV) with the added competing ligand salicylaldoxime. Trends in ligand concentrations and conditional stability constants across the different treatments and over the course of the incubation experiments will be presented.