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Potential Influence of Ocean Acidification on Deep-Sea Fe–Mn Nodules: Results from Leaching Experiments

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Abstract

With the continuous rise in CO2 emissions, the pH of seawater may decrease extensively in the coming centuries. Deep-sea environments are more vulnerable to decreasing pH since sediments in deep oceans below the carbonate compensation depth (CCD) are often completely devoid of carbonate particles. In order to assess the potential risk of heavy metal release from deep-sea deposits, the mobility of elements from ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) nodules and pelagic clays was examined by means of leaching experiments using phosphate buffer solutions ranging in pH from 7.1 to 8.6 (NBS scale). With decreasing pH, the results showed an enhanced leaching of elements such as Li, B, Mg, Si, Sc, Sr, Ba, Tl, and U, but a reduced leaching of V, Cu, Mo, Cd, and W. Elements in leachates originate mainly from exchangeable fractions, and tend to be affected by sorption–desorption processes. Concentrations of most elements did not exceed widely used international water quality criteria, indicating that changes in pH caused by future ocean acidification may not increase the risk of heavy metal release during deep-sea nodule mining operations.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to Dr. Akira Usui (Kochi University) for overall support in this study. We thank the two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. This research was supported by Grants-in-Aids from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to H.K. (Nos. 1934014622224009 and 15H02139).

Authors’ contribution

All authors contributed to the design of the experimental strategy. Q.W. conducted the experiment and wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results. A.S. and K.Y. contributed significantly to revisions of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Quan Wang & Hodaka Kawahata

  2. Room 753, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8564, Japan

    Quan Wang & Hodaka Kawahata

  3. Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan

    Quan Wang, Hodaka Kawahata, Kyoko Yamaoka & Atsushi Suzuki

  4. Center for Advanced Marine Core Research, Kochi University, B200 Monobe, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8502, Japan

    Takuya Manaka

  5. Department of Forest Soils, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan

    Takuya Manaka

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  1. Quan Wang
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  2. Hodaka Kawahata
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Correspondence to Quan Wang.

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Wang, Q., Kawahata, H., Manaka, T. et al. Potential Influence of Ocean Acidification on Deep-Sea Fe–Mn Nodules: Results from Leaching Experiments. Aquat Geochem 23, 233–246 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-017-9320-z

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