IUPAC name dioxide (•1−)) is an important transient reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the ocean formed as an intermediate in the redox transformation of oxygen (O 2 ) into hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and vice versa. This highly reactive and very short-lived radical anion can be produced both via photochemical and biological processes in the ocean. In this paper we examine the decomposition rate of O 2 − throughout the water column, using new data collected in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic (ETNA) Ocean. For this approach we applied a semi factorial experimental design to identify and quantify the pathways of the major identified sinks in the ocean. In this work we occupied six stations, two on the West African continental shelf and four open ocean stations, including the CVOO time series site adjacent to Cape Verde. Our results indicate that, in the surface ocean impacted by Saharan aerosols and coastal sediment resuspension, the main decay pathways for superoxide are via reactions with Mn(II) and organic matter.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.