Iodine cycling in the Sargasso Sea and the Bermuda inshore waters

Methods have been developed for the measurement of iodate and total iodine in ocean waters based on the spectrophotometric method of Truesdale and Spencer (Mar. Chem., 2 (1974) 33-47). Total iodine is measured as iodate after photo-oxidation of reduced forms of iodine with UV light, and iodide is then calculated by difference. A complex interference from nitrate is reported and discussed. Measurements of iodine concentrations in the Sargasso Sea and the Bermuda inshore waters suggest a seasonal cycle. This seasonality appears to be the result of water masses becoming isolated by hydrographic effects for a sufficient time for iodate reduction to significantly change the iodate/total iodine ratio. The mechanisms for the reduction are at least partly biological, but other mechanisms may also play a part. © 1988.

Iodine cycling in the Sargasso Sea and the Bermuda inshore waters Academic Article