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Was there really an Archean phosphate crisis?

Kurt O Konhauser¹, Stefan V Lalonde, Larry Amskold

¹Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada. kurtk@ualberta.ca

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Summary

Archean oceans likely held more phosphate than previously thought. Experiments show silica, abundant then, competed with phosphate for iron particles, reducing phosphate removal and boosting ocean productivity.

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Area of Science:

Geochemistry
Paleoceanography
Biogeochemistry

Background:

Banded iron formations indicate massive Archean iron deposition.
Previous models suggested iron oxyhydroxide particles removed oceanic phosphate, limiting phytoplankton.
These models overlooked high Archean dissolved silica concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of silica in Archean ocean phosphate availability.
To experimentally test the competition between silica and phosphate for sorption onto iron particles.

Main Methods:

Laboratory experiments simulating Archean seawater conditions.
Ferrihydrite particle synthesis and characterization.
Phosphate and silica sorption measurements on ferrihydrite.

Main Results:

Silica demonstrated effective competition with phosphate for sorption sites on ferrihydrite.
Silica coprecipitation with ferrihydrite decreased particle reactivity towards phosphate.
These findings suggest reduced phosphate removal by iron particles in the Archean.

Conclusions:

Archean oceans likely retained significantly higher phosphate concentrations than previously estimated.
Silica played a crucial role in modulating phosphate availability in early oceans.
The proposed model of phosphate stripping by iron particles needs revision to include silica's influence.