Increased biological productivity and export production in the glacial Southern Ocean

The increase in export production in the Southern Ocean contributed to low levels of carbon dioxide and high levels of iron in the glacial atmosphere. The winds from Patagonian deserts transported iron to the Southern Ocean. The observations compare well with the fact that the iron depletion in the Ocean in the glacial periods was reduced by iron-rich winds. The fluxes of biogenic detritus out of surface waters were high in the glacial periods.