Oceanic phosphorus imbalance: Magnitude of the mid‐ocean ridge flank hydrothermal sink

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
We present a new estimate for the crustal phosphorous sink that results from reactions among seawater, basalt, and sediment blanketing low temperature mid‐ocean ridge flank hydrothermal systems. New estimates for global hydrothermal power output, sediment thickness, and the dissolved phosphate concentrations in basement formation fluids indicate that fluid flow through ridge flanks removes 2.8 × 1010 mol P yr−1. This value is larger (130%) than the riverine dissolved flux of inorganic phosphate and is as much as 35% of the sedimentary P sink. The concordant seawater flux (2.1 × 1016 kg yr−1) is 65% of the riverine fluid flux and circulates a fluid volume equivalent to the entire ocean in about 70,000 yr. Additional sampling of seafloor springs is required to further constrain the range of calculated phosphate fluxes; nevertheless the modern phosphorus budget is clearly unbalanced with total sinks outpacing sources.