The Luzon Strait lies between the South China Sea (SCS) and the West Pacific Ocean (WPO) and serves as one of the primary gateways through which the main stream of the Kuroshio Current enters the SCS. These complicated physical processes not only regulate the transport of nutrients and chemical substances in the ocean but also profoundly affect the biogeochemical cycles of the SCS and adjacent waters. However, previous studies have largely focused on the core region of the Kuroshio and the open-ocean side, while systematic observations and in-depth investigations of dissolved trace metals and rare earth elements across the broad Luzon Strait remain limited. This study integrates data from multiple research cruises to systematically investigate the spatial distribution patterns of dissolved trace metals and rare earth elements (REEs) across the broad Luzon Strait. Along the transect from the Gaoping Canyon to the trench, we found that dissolved Fe and Mn concentrations were highly correlated with transmission data, indicating that marginal inputs play a critical role in supplying these metals to the region. Furthermore, we observed elevated Fe and Mn at the station within the Kaoping trench. By coupling chemical observation with physical circulation simulations, our results suggest that these dissolved Fe and Mn originating from benthic sediments can be transported along the Gaoping Canyon system. Among the REEs, dissolved Ce also shows a pattern similar to that of Fe and Mn. However, by further deriving the Ce anomaly (Ce/Ce*), it demonstrates different particle removal behaviors above the slope and in the surface water. Across the transect from the northern SCS to the WPO, we observe an obvious uplift of the nutricline on the continental shelf side for many parameters, including nutrients and metals, again indicating complicated circulation and topography changes may play important roles in regulating the distribution of metals and REEs in this study region. The goal is to establish a baseline dataset of trace elements for the region, providing a critical foundation for assessing the impact of the Kuroshio Current on the chemical environment of the SCS and the waters surrounding Taiwan.

暂无