The Distribution and Redox Chemistry of Iron in the Pettaquamscutt Estuary

A series of high resolution (10 cm) vertical profiles of iron were determined across the oxic/anoxic boundary in the Lower Pond of the Pettaquamscutt Estuary. Selective chemical treatments and multiple analytical methods were used to detemine the oxidation state and lability of iron across the oxic/anoxic boundary. The vertical distributions of dissolved and total iron were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy, and dissolved Fe(II) and reducible iron were determined using a modified Ferrozine spectrophotometric method. Well-developed maxima of total dissolved iron ≈7•5 μM occurred within the oxic/anoxic transition zone. Analysis of Fe(II) by the FZ method indicates that more than 95% of the dissolved iron determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy within the maximum is in the form of Fe(II). The concentration of dissolved Fe(II) ranged from <4 nM in oxygenated surface waters to between 7 and 8 μM at the total dissolved iron maximum. Both dissolved and total iron samples were treated with ascorbic acid to quantify the fraction of iron that was reducible in this system. Dissolved iron is quantitatively reduced to Fe(II) by 3•5 m depth, and particulate iron was almost completely dissolved by 6 m. Thermodynamic speciation calculations indicate that the dominant species of Fe(II) in the anoxic waters is the Fe(HS)+complex. In addition, the concentration of Fe(II) in the anoxic zone appears to be controlled by precipitation of a sulfide phase, the ion activity product for waters below 7 m is in good agreement with the solubility product of mackinawite. The vertical distribution of oxidation states of the metals indicates non-equilibrium conditions due to microbiological and chemical processes occurring in the redox transition zone. A one-dimensional vertical, eddy diffusion model is presented that incorporates redox reactions of iron, sulfide and oxygen. The modeling suggests the maximum in Fe(II) can be achieved through inorganic oxidation and reduction reactions, however the depth at which the maximum occurs is sensitive to sulfide oxidation, which appears to be dominated by biological oxidation. The magnitude of the Fe(II) maximum depends on the flux of iron into the basin, and reductive dissolution of particulate iron.