As potential mineral resources, rare earth elements and yttrium (REY)-rich sediments in deep-sea, have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. It is generally believed that the main source of REY should come from overlying seawater, but studies are in general lacking on the REY in overlying seawater in REY-enriched areas. In this paper, the dissolved concentrations and vertical distributions of 15 REY were studied in three stations located in the South Pacific Ocean, where enriched REY concentrations were found in sediments. Data obtained from this study were compared with data reported in adjacent waters and other ocean basins. The REY concentration in surface water of the study area was mainly controlled by wind-driven dust input, while the middle and deep waters were controlled by water masses. After the normalization of Post Achaean Australian Shale (PAAS) and North Pacific deep water (NPDW), the fractionation characteristics of REY can be clearly identified, and different water mass characteristics can be distinguished. When compared to data reported in other ocean basins and adjacent waters, more differences are found in surface waters due to dust and terrestrial inputs, while the REY concentrations in Indian Ocean are similar to the study region; the REY concentrations in deep water show a positive correlation with the age of water mass, i.e. the concentrations of REY from small to large are Atlantic, Indian Ocean, South Pacific, North Pacific.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |