Gorgues T. auteur aut IRD Menkès Christophe auteur aut IRD Aumont Olivier auteur aut IRD Vialard Jérôme auteur aut IRD Dandonneau Yves auteur aut IRD Bopp L. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng Tropical Instability Waves (TIW) have been suggested to fertilize the equatorial Pacific in iron leading to enhanced ecosystem productivity. Using a coupled dynamical-biogeochemical model, we show that contrary to this suggestion, TIWs induce a decrease of iron concentration by 10% at the equator and by about 3% over the Wyrtki box [90 degrees W-180, 5 degrees N-5 degrees S]. Chlorophyll decreases by 10% at the equator and 1% over the Wyrtki box. This leads to a decrease of new production up to 10% at the equator (4% over the Wyrtki box). TIW-induced horizontal advection exports iron-rich equatorial water to the north, but also brings iron-depleted water to the equator leading to a net decrease in iron. Additional iron decrease is caused by TIW-induced iron vertical diffusion. These two mechanisms are partly counter balanced by a decrease of iron biological uptake, driven by lower phytoplankton concentrations, and to a lesser extent by TIW-induced iron vertical advection. specialized 066 021 32 24 NIL_45-NIL_49 2005 0094-8276 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/PAR00000704 10.1029/2005GL024110 0094-8276 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/PAR00000704 IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2006-03-30 2017-08-23 PAR00000704 fre