Articles | Volume 13, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4645-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4645-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Aug 2016
Research article |
| 18 Aug 2016
Nitrogen isotopic evidence for a shift from nitrate- to diazotroph-fueled export production in the VAHINE mesocosm experiments
Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science Department, Florida State
University, 117 N Woodward AVE, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
Sarah E. Fawcett
Department of Geosciences, Guyot Hall, Princeton University,
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701,
South Africa
Alfredo Martínez-Garcia
Max Plank Institute for Chemistry, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz,
Germany
Nathalie Leblond
Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO),
IRD/CNRS/Aix-Marseille University, IRD Noumea, 101 Promenade R. Laroque,
BPA5, 98848 Noumea Cedex, France
Thierry Moutin
Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO),
IRD/CNRS/Aix-Marseille University, IRD Noumea, 101 Promenade R. Laroque,
BPA5, 98848 Noumea Cedex, France
Sophie Bonnet
Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO),
IRD/CNRS/Aix-Marseille University, IRD Noumea, 101 Promenade R. Laroque,
BPA5, 98848 Noumea Cedex, France
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Surface waters of the western tropical South Pacific were sampled along a longitudinal 4000 km transect during the stratified period between the Melanesian Archipelago and the western part of the South Pacific gyre. We found a significant biological carbon pump sustained almost exclusively by N2 fixation and essentially controlled by phosphate availability in the iron-rich Melanesian Archipelago waters which appears to be a net sink for atmospheric CO2 while the gyre is in a quasi-steady state.
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Mathieu Caffin, Thierry Moutin, Rachel Ann Foster, Pascale Bouruet-Aubertot, Andrea Michelangelo Doglioli, Hugo Berthelot, Cécile Guieu, Olivier Grosso, Sandra Helias-Nunige, Nathalie Leblond, Audrey Gimenez, Anne Alexandra Petrenko, Alain de Verneil, and Sophie Bonnet
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Oceanographic campaigns to measure biogeochemical processes popularly deploy drifters with onboard incubations to stay in a single body of water. Here, we aggregate physical data taken during such a cruise, OUTPACE, to independently test in a new approach whether the drifter really stayed in what can be considered a single biological or chemical environment. This study concludes that future campaigns would benefit from similar data collection and analysis to validate their sampling strategy.
Marcus Stenegren, Andrea Caputo, Carlo Berg, Sophie Bonnet, and Rachel A. Foster
Biogeosciences, 15, 1559–1578, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1559-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1559-2018, 2018
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We successfully performed quantitative PCR at sea. The qPCR data were procured within 3 h and used in decisions on further sampling on site. We designed and applied a new primer and probe set for quantifying the UCYN-A1 host and observed discrepancies between host and symbiont, which contradict previous studies. Lastly, we observed a clear vertical separation between a subsurface group (UCYN-A with hosts) and a surface group (remaining diazotrophs), mainly separated by temperature.
Alain Fumenia, Thierry Moutin, Sophie Bonnet, Mar Benavides, Anne Petrenko, Sandra Helias Nunige, and Christophe Maes
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2017-557, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2017-557, 2018
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The Melanesian archipelago waters between 160° E and 170° W are characterized by a significant N2 fixation rates and an excess of particulate organic nitrogen compared to the canonical ratio of Redfield and a positive N*. We hypothesize that the southern branch of the subtropical gyre is probably the main vector of excess nitrogen transport in the thermocline waters showing an influence of nitrogen fixation occurring in the western tropical in a large part of the South Pacific.
Yangyang Lu, Zuozhu Wen, Dalin Shi, Mingming Chen, Yao Zhang, Sophie Bonnet, Yuhang Li, Jiwei Tian, and Shuh-Ji Kao
Biogeosciences, 15, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1-2018, 2018
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We investigated the light response of field Trichodesmium N2 fixation and net dissolved nitrogen release behavior. Our results suggest that N2 fixation was a function of light intensity, and the light requirement of Trichodesmium nitrogen fixation was high relative to its photosynthetic light demand. Meanwhile, light is a crucial parameter driving the physiological state of Trichodesmium, which subsequently determined the C / N metabolism and net dissolved nitrogen release.
Alain de Verneil, Louise Rousselet, Andrea M. Doglioli, Anne A. Petrenko, and Thierry Moutin
Biogeosciences, 14, 3471–3486, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3471-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3471-2017, 2017
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A surface summer plankton bloom in the western tropical South Pacific was sampled during the Oligotrophy to UlTra-oligotrophy PACific Experiment (OUTPACE) cruise. We characterize the bloom's properties and the circulation responsible for its evolution. Nitrogen fixation helped sustain the bloom, and larger-scale flows, rather than the smaller ones, explain its movements. Future studies of blooms in this region can make use of these findings to track the horizontal export of plankton production.
Thierry Moutin, Andrea Michelangelo Doglioli, Alain de Verneil, and Sophie Bonnet
Biogeosciences, 14, 3207–3220, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3207-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3207-2017, 2017
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The overall goal of OUTPACE was to obtain a successful representation of the interactions between planktonic organisms and the cycle of biogenic elements in the western tropical South Pacific Ocean across trophic and N2 fixation gradients. The international OUTPACE cruise took place between 18 February and 3 April 2015 aboard the RV L’Atalante and involved 60 scientists. The transect covered ~4 000 km from the western part of the Melanesian archipelago to the western boundary of the gyre.
Audrey Gimenez, Melika Baklouti, Sophie Bonnet, and Thierry Moutin
Biogeosciences, 13, 5103–5120, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5103-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5103-2016, 2016
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In the context of the VAHINE mesocosm experiment in the Nouméa lagoon (New Caledonia), a 1-D vertical biogeochemical mechanistic model was used together with the in situ experiment to complement our comprehension of the planktonic ecosystem dynamics and the main biogeochemical carbon, nitrogen and phosphate fluxes. The model also showed the fate of fixed N2 by providing, over time, the proportion of diazotroph-derived nitrogen (DDN) in each compartment (mineral and organic) of the model.
Sophie Bonnet, Melika Baklouti, Audrey Gimenez, Hugo Berthelot, and Ilana Berman-Frank
Biogeosciences, 13, 4461–4479, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4461-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4461-2016, 2016
Dina Spungin, Ulrike Pfreundt, Hugo Berthelot, Sophie Bonnet, Dina AlRoumi, Frank Natale, Wolfgang R. Hess, Kay D. Bidle, and Ilana Berman-Frank
Biogeosciences, 13, 4187–4203, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4187-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4187-2016, 2016
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The marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium spp. forms massive blooms important to carbon and nitrogen cycling in the oceans that often collapse abruptly. We investigated a Trichodesmium bloom in the lagoon waters of New Caledonia to specifically elucidate the cellular processes mediating the bloom decline. We demonstrate physiological, biochemical, and genetic evidence for nutrient and oxidative stress that induced a genetically controlled programmed cell death (PCD) pathway leading to bloom demise.
Ulrike Pfreundt, Dina Spungin, Sophie Bonnet, Ilana Berman-Frank, and Wolfgang R. Hess
Biogeosciences, 13, 4135–4149, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4135-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4135-2016, 2016
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The VAHINE experiment in the New Caledonia lagoon (SW Pacific) targeted the dynamics of nutrient pools and fluxes, N2 fixation, and the composition and productivity of the microbial communities. To connect this information to the actual activities of diverse microbial taxa, we present the analysis of the community-wide gene expression for 23 days. The results from this experiment provide insight into the microbial activities in a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll ecosystem and within a mesocosm.
Hugo Berthelot, Sophie Bonnet, Olivier Grosso, Véronique Cornet, and Aude Barani
Biogeosciences, 13, 4005–4021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4005-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4005-2016, 2016
Ilana Berman-Frank, Dina Spungin, Eyal Rahav, France Van Wambeke, Kendra Turk-Kubo, and Thierry Moutin
Biogeosciences, 13, 3793–3805, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3793-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3793-2016, 2016
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In the marine environment, sticky sugar-containing gels, termed transparent exopolymeric particles (TEP), are produced from biological sources and physical and chemical processes. These compounds are essential vectors enhancing downward flow of organic matter and its storage at depth. Spatial and temporal dynamics of TEPs were followed for 23 days during the VAHINE mesocosm experiment that investigated the fate of nitrogen and carbon derived from organisms fixing atmospheric N2 (diazotrophs).
France Van Wambeke, Ulrike Pfreundt, Aude Barani, Hugo Berthelot, Thierry Moutin, Martine Rodier, Wolfgang R. Hess, and Sophie Bonnet
Biogeosciences, 13, 3187–3202, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3187-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3187-2016, 2016
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The phytoplankton is at the base of the plankton food web in large parts of oceanic "deserts" such as the South Pacific Ocean, where nitrogen sources limit activity. Mesocosms were fertilized with phosphorus to stimulate diazotrophy (atmospheric N2 fixation). Mostly diazotroph-derived nitrogen fuelled the heterotrophic bacterial community through indirect processes generating dissolved organic matter and detritus, such as mortality, lysis and grazing of both diazotrophs and non-diazotrophs.
Brian P. V. Hunt, Sophie Bonnet, Hugo Berthelot, Brandon J. Conroy, Rachel A. Foster, and Marc Pagano
Biogeosciences, 13, 3131–3145, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3131-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3131-2016, 2016
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Biological nitrogen (N) fixation is an important source of N for food webs in tropical and subtropical oceans. However, uptake pathways remain poorly understood. This study found that fixed N contributed a third of total zooplankton N in the New Caledonia lagoon. Fixed N reached the zooplankton through 1) direct grazing on N fixers and 2) grazing on phytoplankton that had taken up N released by fixers. We report the first record of direct zooplankton grazing on the unicellular N fixer UCYN-C.
Sophie Bonnet, Thierry Moutin, Martine Rodier, Jean-Michel Grisoni, Francis Louis, Eric Folcher, Bertrand Bourgeois, Jean-Michel Boré, and Armelle Renaud
Biogeosciences, 13, 2803–2814, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2803-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2803-2016, 2016
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e main goal of the VAHINE project was to study the fate of N2 fixation in the ocean. Three large-volume (~ 50 m3) mesocosms were deployed in a tropical oligotrophic ecosystem (the New Caledonia lagoon, south-eastern Pacific). This introductory paper describes the scientific objectives of the project in detail as well as the implementation plan: the mesocosm description and deployment, the selection of the study site, and the logistical and sampling strategy.
Sophie Bonnet, Hugo Berthelot, Kendra Turk-Kubo, Sarah Fawcett, Eyal Rahav, Stéphane L'Helguen, and Ilana Berman-Frank
Biogeosciences, 13, 2653–2673, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2653-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2653-2016, 2016
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N2 fixation rates were measured daily in ~ 50 m3 mesocosms deployed in New Caledonia to investigate the high-frequency dynamics of diazotrophy and the fate of diazotroph-derived nitrogen (DDN) oligotrophic ecosystems. ~ 10 % of UCYN-C from the water column were exported daily to the traps, representing as much as 22.4 ± 5.5 % of the total POC exported at the height of the UCYN-C bloom. 16 ± 6 % of the DDN was released to the dissolved pool and 21 ± 4 % was transferred to non-diazotrophic plankton.
Ulrike Pfreundt, France Van Wambeke, Mathieu Caffin, Sophie Bonnet, and Wolfgang R. Hess
Biogeosciences, 13, 2319–2337, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2319-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2319-2016, 2016
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The Southwest Pacific has one of the highest N2 fixation rates in the global ocean, yet information is scarce on the bacterioplankton interrelationships. We detected high microbial diversity in the New Caledonia lagoon and inside a 50 000 L experimental enclosure of the same water mass over 3 weeks and give evidence for previously unknown niche partitioning. Phosphate fertilization promoted the growth of efficient N2 fixing cyanobacteria triggering the growth of most heterotrophic bacteria.
K. A. Turk-Kubo, I. E. Frank, M. E. Hogan, A. Desnues, S. Bonnet, and J. P. Zehr
Biogeosciences, 12, 7435–7452, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7435-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7435-2015, 2015
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-A shift from diatom-associated diazotrophs (DDAs) to unicellular cyanobacterial group C (UCYN-C) in response to DIP fertilization was captured in a large-scale mesocosm experiment in the Noumea lagoon (NL), a low-nutrient low-chlorophyll coastal environment. -First report of in situ net growth and mortality rates for unicellular diazotrophs UCYN-A2, and UCYN-C. -First quantitative abundance data for diazotrophs in NL indicate that DDAs and UCYN-A1/A2 may be important N2 fixers in this region.
A. Guyennon, M. Baklouti, F. Diaz, J. Palmieri, J. Beuvier, C. Lebaupin-Brossier, T. Arsouze, K. Béranger, J.-C. Dutay, and T. Moutin
Biogeosciences, 12, 7025–7046, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7025-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7025-2015, 2015
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Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) has already been identified as a potentially significant source of carbon export in the Mediterranean Sea, though in situ export estimations are scarce. This work provides a thorough analysis at basin scale of carbon export with the coupled model NEMO-MED12/Eco3M-MED model. The seasonality and the processes of particulate and dissolved carbon production are also investigated. DOC export appears to be dominant in most regions, especially in the eastern basin.
H. Berthelot, T. Moutin, S. L'Helguen, K. Leblanc, S. Hélias, O. Grosso, N. Leblond, B. Charrière, and S. Bonnet
Biogeosciences, 12, 4099–4112, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4099-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4099-2015, 2015
A. Talarmin, F. Van Wambeke, P. Lebaron, and T. Moutin
Biogeosciences, 12, 1237–1247, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1237-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1237-2015, 2015
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Along a transect in the warm nutrient-depleted Mediterranean Sea, we found that microorganisms shared phosphate resources by using different uptake strategies. Heterotrophic prokaryotes dominated phosphate uptake in the upper layers while cyanobacteria dominated uptake fluxes around the deep chlorophyll maximum depth. Synechococcus seemed well equipped to respond to pulses of phosphate, whereas Prochlorococcus and heterotrophs were more adapted to very low concentrations.
C. Ridame, J. Dekaezemacker, C. Guieu, S. Bonnet, S. L'Helguen, and F. Malien
Biogeosciences, 11, 4783–4800, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4783-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4783-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Open Ocean
An upper-mesopelagic-zone carbon budget for the subarctic North Pacific
Ocean alkalinity enhancement in an open-ocean ecosystem: biogeochemical responses and carbon storage durability
Relationships between the concentration of particulate organic nitrogen and the inherent optical properties of seawater in oceanic surface waters
Inadequacies in the representation of sub-seasonal phytoplankton dynamics in Earth system models
Nitrogen dynamics and nitrate stable isotopes indicate nitrogen loss in the Bay of Bengal
A tracer study for the development of in-water monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of ship-based ocean alkalinity enhancement
Composite model-based estimate of the ocean carbon sink from 1959 to 2022
Phytoplankton community structure in relation to iron and macronutrient fluxes from subsurface waters in the western North Pacific during summer
Intense and localized export of selected marine snow types at eddy edges in the South Atlantic Ocean
Spatial distributions of iron and manganese in surface waters of the Arctic's Laptev and East Siberian seas
Climate-driven shifts in Southern Ocean primary producers and biogeochemistry in CMIP6 models
Oceanic enrichment of ammonium and its impacts on phytoplankton community composition under a high-emissions scenario
Ocean acidification trends and carbonate system dynamics across the North Atlantic subpolar gyre water masses during 2009–2019
Pelagic coccolithophore production and dissolution and their impacts on particulate inorganic carbon cycling in the western North Pacific
Marine snow morphology drives sinking and attenuation in the ocean interior
From small scale variability to mesoscale stability in surface ocean pH: implications for air-sea CO2 equilibration
Sedimentary organic matter signature hints at the phytoplankton-driven biological carbon pump in the central Arabian Sea
Hydrological cycle amplification imposes spatial patterns on the climate change response of ocean pH and carbonate chemistry
Assessing the tropical Atlantic biogeochemical processes in the Norwegian Earth System Model
Evolution of oxygen and stratification and their relationship in the North Pacific Ocean in CMIP6 Earth system models
Evaluation of CMIP6 model performance in simulating historical biogeochemistry across the southern South China Sea
Drivers of decadal trends in the ocean carbon sink in the past, present, and future in Earth system models
Anthropogenic carbon storage and its decadal changes in the Atlantic between 1990–2020
Ocean alkalinity enhancement impacts: regrowth of marine microalgae in alkaline mineral concentrations simulating the initial concentrations after ship-based dispersions
Climatic controls on metabolic constraints in the ocean
Effects of grain size and seawater salinity on magnesium hydroxide dissolution and secondary calcium carbonate precipitation kinetics: implications for ocean alkalinity enhancement
Short-term response of Emiliania huxleyi growth and morphology to abrupt salinity stress
Assessing the impact of CO2-equilibrated ocean alkalinity enhancement on microbial metabolic rates in an oligotrophic system
A time series analysis of transparent exopolymer particle distributions and C:N stoichiometry in the subtropical North Pacific: a key process in net community production and preformed nitrate anomalies?
Phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase activities in the eastern Mediterranean in two contrasting seasonal situations
Net primary production annual maxima in the North Atlantic projected to shift in the 21st century
Testing the influence of light on nitrite cycling in the eastern tropical North Pacific
Loss of nitrogen via anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in the California Current system during the late Quaternary
Technical note: Assessment of float pH data quality control methods – a case study in the subpolar northwest Atlantic Ocean
Linking northeastern North Pacific oxygen changes to upstream surface outcrop variations
Underestimation of multi-decadal global O2 loss due to an optimal interpolation method
Reviews and syntheses: expanding the global coverage of gross primary production and net community production measurements using Biogeochemical-Argo floats
Characteristics of surface physical and biogeochemical parameters within mesoscale eddies in the Southern Ocean
Seasonal dynamics and annual budget of dissolved inorganic carbon in the northwestern Mediterranean deep-convection region
The fingerprint of climate variability on the surface ocean cycling of iron and its isotopes
Reconstructing the ocean's mesopelagic zone carbon budget: sensitivity and estimation of parameters associated with prokaryotic remineralization
Seasonal cycles of biogeochemical fluxes in the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean: a stable isotope approach
Absence of photophysiological response to iron addition in autumn phytoplankton in the Antarctic sea-ice zone
Optimal parameters for the ocean's nutrient, carbon, and oxygen cycles compensate for circulation biases but replumb the biological pump
Importance of multiple sources of iron for the upper-ocean biogeochemistry over the northern Indian Ocean
Exploring the role of different data types and timescales in the quality of marine biogeochemical model calibration
All about nitrite: exploring nitrite sources and sinks in the eastern tropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone
Fossil coccolith morphological attributes as a new proxy for deep ocean carbonate chemistry
Reconstructing ocean carbon storage with CMIP6 Earth system models and synthetic Argo observations
Using machine learning and Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) floats to assess biogeochemical models and optimize observing system design
Brandon M. Stephens, Montserrat Roca-Martí, Amy E. Maas, Vinícius J. Amaral, Samantha Clevenger, Shawnee Traylor, Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson, Philip W. Boyd, Ken O. Buesseler, Craig A. Carlson, Nicolas Cassar, Margaret Estapa, Andrea J. Fassbender, Yibin Huang, Phoebe J. Lam, Olivier Marchal, Susanne Menden-Deuer, Nicola L. Paul, Alyson E. Santoro, David A. Siegel, and David P. Nicholson
Biogeosciences, 22, 3301–3328, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3301-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3301-2025, 2025
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The ocean’s mesopelagic zone (MZ) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. This study combines new and previously published measurements of organic carbon supply and demand collected in August 2018 in the MZ of the subarctic North Pacific Ocean. Supply was insufficient to meet demand in August, but supply entering into the MZ in the spring of 2018 could have met the August demand. Results suggest observations over seasonal timescales may help to close MZ carbon budgets.
Allanah Joy Paul, Mathias Haunost, Silvan Urs Goldenberg, Jens Hartmann, Nicolás Sánchez, Julieta Schneider, Niels Suitner, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 22, 2749–2766, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2749-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2749-2025, 2025
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Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is being assessed for its potential to absorb atmospheric CO2 and store it for a long time. OAE still needs comprehensive assessment of its safety and effectiveness. We studied an idealised OAE application in a natural low-nutrient ecosystem over 1 month. Our results showed that biogeochemical functioning remained mostly stable but that the long-term capability for storing carbon may be limited at high alkalinity concentration.
Alain Fumenia, Hubert Loisel, Rick A. Reynolds, and Dariusz Stramski
Biogeosciences, 22, 2461–2484, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2461-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2461-2025, 2025
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Particulate organic nitrogen (PON) plays a central role in ocean biogeochemistry, yet limited in situ data hinder a full understanding of PON variability and associated processes. Measurements of optical properties offer an alternative for assessing PON across diverse marine environments. Our analysis reveals strong relationships between PON and optical properties, supporting a promising means to assess PON from optical measurements performed in situ or conducted from remote-sensing platforms.
Madhavan Girijakumari Keerthi, Olivier Aumont, Lester Kwiatkowski, and Marina Levy
Biogeosciences, 22, 2163–2180, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2163-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2163-2025, 2025
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We assessed how well climate models replicate sub-seasonal changes in ocean chlorophyll observed by satellites. Models struggle to capture these variations accurately. Some overestimate fluctuations and their impact on annual chlorophyll variability, while others underestimate them. The underestimation is likely due to limited model resolution, while the overestimation may come from internal model oscillations.
Gesa Schulz, Kirstin Dähnke, Tina Sanders, Jan Penopp, Hermann W. Bange, Rena Czeschel, and Birgit Gaye
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1660, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1660, 2025
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Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are low-oxygen ocean areas that deplete nitrogen, a key marine nutrient. Understanding nitrogen cycling in OMZs is crucial for the global nitrogen cycle. This study examined nitrogen cycling in the OMZ of the Bay of Bengal and East Equatorial Indian Ocean, revealing limited mixing between both regions. Surface phytoplankton consumes nitrate, while deeper nitrification recycles nitrogen. In the BoB’s OMZ (100–300 m), nitrogen loss likely occurs via anammox.
Adam V. Subhas, Jennie E. Rheuban, Zhaohui Aleck Wang, Daniel C. McCorkle, Anna P. M. Michel, Lukas Marx, Chloe L. Dean, Kate Morkeski, Matthew G. Hayden, Mary Burkitt-Gray, Francis Elder, Yiming Guo, Heather H. Kim, and Ke Chen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1348, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1348, 2025
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Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is a carbon removal approach in which alkaline materials are added to the marine environment, increasing the ocean's ability to store carbon dioxide. We conducted an open-water experiment releasing and tracking a fluorescent water tracer. Under the right conditions, in-water monitoring of OAE does appear to be possible. We conclude with a series of practical recommendations for open-water OAE monitoring.
Jens Terhaar
Biogeosciences, 22, 1631–1649, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1631-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1631-2025, 2025
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The ocean is a major natural carbon sink. Despite its importance, estimates of the ocean carbon sink remain uncertain. Here, I present a hybrid model estimate of the ocean carbon sink from 1959 to 2022. By combining ocean models in hindcast mode and Earth system models, I keep the strength of each approach and remove the respective weaknesses. This composite model estimate is similar in magnitude to the best estimate of the Global Carbon Budget but 70 % less uncertain.
Huailin Deng, Koji Suzuki, Ichiro Yasuda, Hiroshi Ogawa, and Jun Nishioka
Biogeosciences, 22, 1495–1508, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1495-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1495-2025, 2025
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Iron (Fe) and nitrate are vital for primary production in the North Pacific. Sedimentary Fe is carried by North Pacific Intermediate Water to the North Pacific, but the nutrient return path and its effect on phytoplankton are unclear. By combining Fe and macronutrient fluxes with phytoplankton composition, this study firstly revealed that Fe supply from the subsurface greatly controls diatom abundance and identified the nutrient return path in the subarctic gyre and Kuroshio–Oyashio transition area.
Alexandre Accardo, Rémi Laxenaire, Alberto Baudena, Sabrina Speich, Rainer Kiko, and Lars Stemmann
Biogeosciences, 22, 1183–1201, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1183-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1183-2025, 2025
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The open ocean helps mitigate climate change by storing CO2 via the biological carbon pump (BCP), which involves processes like organic carbon production at the surface and transferring it to the deep ocean via various pathways. By deploying an autonomous platform, we found significant marine snow accumulation from the surface to the mesopelagic zone in frontal regions between eddies. We suggest that the coupling of hydrodynamics at eddy edges and biological activity may enhance this process.
Naoya Kanna, Kazutaka Tateyama, Takuji Waseda, Anna Timofeeva, Maria Papadimitraki, Laura Whitmore, Hajime Obata, Daiki Nomura, Hiroshi Ogawa, Youhei Yamashita, and Igor Polyakov
Biogeosciences, 22, 1057–1076, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1057-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1057-2025, 2025
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This article presents data on iron and manganese, essential micronutrients for primary producers in the Arctic Laptev and East Siberian seas (LESS). There, observations were made through international cooperation with the Nansen and Amundsen Basin Observational System expedition during the late summer of 2021. The results from this study indicate that the major sources controlling the iron and manganese distributions on the LESS continental margins are river discharge and shelf sediment input.
Ben J. Fisher, Alex J. Poulton, Michael P. Meredith, Kimberlee Baldry, Oscar Schofield, and Sian F. Henley
Biogeosciences, 22, 975–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-975-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-975-2025, 2025
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The Southern Ocean is a rapidly warming environment, with subsequent impacts on ecosystems and biogeochemical cycling. This study examines changes in phytoplankton and biogeochemistry using a range of climate models. Under climate change, the Southern Ocean will be warmer, more acidic and more productive and will have reduced nutrient availability by 2100. However, there is substantial variability between models across key productivity parameters. We propose ways of reducing this uncertainty.
Pearse J. Buchanan, Juan J. Pierella Karlusich, Robyn E. Tuerena, Roxana Shafiee, E. Malcolm S. Woodward, Chris Bowler, and Alessandro Tagliabue
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3639, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3639, 2025
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Ammonium is a form of nitrogen that may become more important for growth of marine primary producers (i.e., phytoplankton) in the future. Because some phytoplankton taxa have a greater affinity for ammonium than others, the relative increase in ammonium could cause shifts in community composition. We quantify ammonium enrichment, identify its drivers, and isolate the possible effect on phytoplankton community composition under a high emissions scenario.
David Curbelo-Hernández, Fiz F. Pérez, Melchor González-Dávila, Sergey V. Gladyshev, Aridane G. González, David González-Santana, Antón Velo, Alexey Sokov, and J. Magdalena Santana-Casiano
Biogeosciences, 21, 5561–5589, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5561-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5561-2024, 2024
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The study evaluated CO2–carbonate system dynamics in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre during 2009–2019. Significant ocean acidification, largely due to rising anthropogenic CO2 levels, was found. Cooling, freshening, and enhanced convective processes intensified this trend, affecting calcite and aragonite saturation. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of ocean acidification and improve our knowledge about its impact on marine ecosystems.
Yuye Han, Zvi Steiner, Zhimian Cao, Di Fan, Junhui Chen, Jimin Yu, and Minhan Dai
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3492, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3492, 2024
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Coccolithophore calcite accounts for a major fraction of particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) standing stocks in the western North Pacific, with a markedly higher contribution in the oligotrophic subtropical gyre than in the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition region, which highlights the importance of coccolithophores for PIC production in the pelagic ocean. We also found extensive dissolution of coccolithophore calcite in the oversaturated shallow waters primarily driven by microbial metabolic activity.
Yawouvi Dodji Soviadan, Miriam Beck, Joelle Habib, Alberto Baudena, Laetitia Drago, Alexandre Accardo, Remi Laxenaire, Sabrina Speich, Peter Brandt, Rainer Kiko, and Lars Stemmann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3302, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3302, 2024
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Key parameters representing the gravity flux in global models are the sinking speed and the vertical attenuation of the exported material. We calculate for the first time, these parameters in situ for 6 intermittent blooms followed by export events using high-resolution (3 days) time series of 0–1000 m depth profiles from imaging sensor mounted on an Argo float. We show that sinking speed depends not only on size but also on the morphology of the particles, density being an important property.
Louise Delaigue, Gert-Jan Reichart, Chris Galley, Yasmina Ourradi, and Matthew Paul Humphreys
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2853, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2853, 2024
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Our study analyzed pH in ocean surface waters to understand how they fluctuate with changes in temperature, salinity, and biological activities. We found that temperature mainly controls daily pH variations, but biological processes also play a role, especially in affecting CO2 levels between the ocean and atmosphere. Our research shows how these factors together maintain the balance of ocean chemistry, which is crucial for predicting changes in marine environments.
Medhavi Pandey, Haimanti Biswas, Daniel Birgel, Nicole Burdanowitz, and Birgit Gaye
Biogeosciences, 21, 4681–4698, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4681-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4681-2024, 2024
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We analysed sea surface temperature (SST) proxy and plankton biomarkers in sediments that accumulate sinking material signatures from surface waters in the central Arabian Sea (21°–11° N, 64° E), a tropical basin impacted by monsoons. We saw a north–south SST gradient, and the biological proxies showed more organic matter from larger algae in the north. Smaller algae and zooplankton were more numerous in the south. These trends were related to ocean–atmospheric processes and oxygen availability.
Allison Hogikyan and Laure Resplandy
Biogeosciences, 21, 4621–4636, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4621-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4621-2024, 2024
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Rising atmospheric CO2 influences ocean carbon chemistry, leading to ocean acidification. Global warming introduces spatial patterns in the intensity of ocean acidification. We show that the most prominent spatial patterns are controlled by warming-driven changes in rainfall and evaporation, not by the direct effect of warming on carbon chemistry and pH. These evaporation and rainfall patterns oppose acidification in saltier parts of the ocean and enhance acidification in fresher regions.
Shunya Koseki, Lander R. Crespo, Jerry Tjiputra, Filippa Fransner, Noel S. Keenlyside, and David Rivas
Biogeosciences, 21, 4149–4168, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4149-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4149-2024, 2024
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We investigated how the physical biases of an Earth system model influence the marine biogeochemical processes in the tropical Atlantic. With four different configurations of the model, we have shown that the versions with better SST reproduction tend to better represent the primary production and air–sea CO2 flux in terms of climatology, seasonal cycle, and response to climate variability.
Lyuba Novi, Annalisa Bracco, Takamitsu Ito, and Yohei Takano
Biogeosciences, 21, 3985–4005, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3985-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3985-2024, 2024
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We explored the relationship between oxygen and stratification in the North Pacific Ocean using a combination of data mining and machine learning. We used isopycnic potential vorticity (IPV) as an indicator to quantify ocean ventilation and analyzed its predictability, a strong O2–IPV connection, and predictability for IPV in the tropical Pacific. This opens new routes for monitoring ocean O2 through few observational sites co-located with more abundant IPV measurements in the tropical Pacific.
Winfred Marshal, Jing Xiang Chung, Nur Hidayah Roseli, Roswati Md Amin, and Mohd Fadzil Bin Mohd Akhir
Biogeosciences, 21, 4007–4035, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4007-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4007-2024, 2024
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This study stands out for thoroughly examining CMIP6 ESMs' ability to simulate biogeochemical variables in the southern South China Sea, an economically important region. It assesses variables like chlorophyll, phytoplankton, nitrate, and oxygen on annual and seasonal scales. While global assessments exist, this study addresses a gap by objectively ranking 13 CMIP6 ocean biogeochemistry models' performance at a regional level, focusing on replicating specific observed biogeochemical variables.
Jens Terhaar
Biogeosciences, 21, 3903–3926, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3903-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3903-2024, 2024
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Despite the ocean’s importance in the carbon cycle and hence the climate, observing the ocean carbon sink remains challenging. Here, I use an ensemble of 12 models to understand drivers of decadal trends of the past, present, and future ocean carbon sink. I show that 80 % of the decadal trends in the multi-model mean ocean carbon sink can be explained by changes in decadal trends in atmospheric CO2. The remaining 20 % are due to internal climate variability and ocean heat uptake.
Reiner Steinfeldt, Monika Rhein, and Dagmar Kieke
Biogeosciences, 21, 3839–3867, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3839-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3839-2024, 2024
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We calculate the amount of anthropogenic carbon (Cant) in the Atlantic for the years 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. Cant is the carbon that is taken up by the ocean as a result of humanmade CO2 emissions. To determine the amount of Cant, we apply a technique that is based on the observations of other humanmade gases (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons). Regionally, changes in ocean ventilation have an impact on the storage of Cant. Overall, the increase in Cant is driven by the rising CO2 in the atmosphere.
Stephanie Delacroix, Tor Jensen Nystuen, August E. Dessen Tobiesen, Andrew L. King, and Erik Höglund
Biogeosciences, 21, 3677–3690, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3677-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3677-2024, 2024
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The addition of alkaline minerals into the ocean might reduce excessive anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Magnesium hydroxide can be added in large amounts because of its low seawater solubility without reaching harmful pH levels. The toxicity effect results of magnesium hydroxide, by simulating the expected concentrations from a ship's dispersion scenario, demonstrated low impacts on both sensitive and local assemblages of marine microalgae when compared to calcium hydroxide.
Precious Mongwe, Matthew Long, Takamitsu Ito, Curtis Deutsch, and Yeray Santana-Falcón
Biogeosciences, 21, 3477–3490, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3477-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3477-2024, 2024
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We use a collection of measurements that capture the physiological sensitivity of organisms to temperature and oxygen and a CESM1 large ensemble to investigate how natural climate variations and climate warming will impact the ability of marine heterotrophic marine organisms to support habitats in the future. We find that warming and dissolved oxygen loss over the next several decades will reduce the volume of ocean habitats and will increase organisms' vulnerability to extremes.
Charly A. Moras, Tyler Cyronak, Lennart T. Bach, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, and Kai G. Schulz
Biogeosciences, 21, 3463–3475, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3463-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3463-2024, 2024
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We investigate the effects of mineral grain size and seawater salinity on magnesium hydroxide dissolution and calcium carbonate precipitation kinetics for ocean alkalinity enhancement. Salinity did not affect the dissolution, but calcium carbonate formed earlier at lower salinities due to the lower magnesium and dissolved organic carbon concentrations. Smaller grain sizes dissolved faster but calcium carbonate precipitated earlier, suggesting that medium grain sizes are optimal for kinetics.
Rosie M. Sheward, Christina Gebühr, Jörg Bollmann, and Jens O. Herrle
Biogeosciences, 21, 3121–3141, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3121-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3121-2024, 2024
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How quickly do marine microorganisms respond to salinity stress? Our experiments with the calcifying marine plankton Emiliania huxleyi show that growth and cell morphology responded to salinity stress within as little as 24–48 hours, demonstrating that morphology and calcification are sensitive to salinity over a range of timescales. Our results have implications for understanding the short-term role of E. huxleyi in biogeochemical cycles and in size-based paleoproxies for salinity.
Laura Marín-Samper, Javier Arístegui, Nauzet Hernández-Hernández, Joaquín Ortiz, Stephen D. Archer, Andrea Ludwig, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 21, 2859–2876, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2859-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2859-2024, 2024
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Our planet is facing a climate crisis. Scientists are working on innovative solutions that will aid in capturing the hard to abate emissions before it is too late. Exciting research reveals that ocean alkalinity enhancement, a key climate change mitigation strategy, does not harm phytoplankton, the cornerstone of marine ecosystems. Through meticulous study, we may have uncovered a positive relationship: up to a specific limit, enhancing ocean alkalinity boosts photosynthesis by certain species.
Kieran Curran, Tracy Villareal, and Robert T. Letscher
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1416, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1416, 2024
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This work provides a two year record of marine organic gel concentrations from an open ocean site in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. These microscopic gels are investigated to understand their importance as an understudied component of organic matter cycling by marine microbes. We find an important role for gel cycling during the summer months, helping explain previously contradictory estimates of nutrient supply and demand for the subtropical ocean.
France Van Wambeke, Pascal Conan, Mireille Pujo-Pay, Vincent Taillandier, Olivier Crispi, Alexandra Pavlidou, Sandra Nunige, Morgane Didry, Christophe Salmeron, and Elvira Pulido-Villena
Biogeosciences, 21, 2621–2640, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2621-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2621-2024, 2024
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Phosphomonoesterase (PME) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) activities over the epipelagic zone are described in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in winter and autumn. The types of concentration kinetics obtained for PDE (saturation at 50 µM, high Km, high turnover times) compared to those of PME (saturation at 1 µM, low Km, low turnover times) are discussed in regard to the possible inequal distribution of PDE and PME in the size continuum of organic material and accessibility to phosphodiesters.
Jenny Hieronymus, Magnus Hieronymus, Matthias Gröger, Jörg Schwinger, Raffaele Bernadello, Etienne Tourigny, Valentina Sicardi, Itzel Ruvalcaba Baroni, and Klaus Wyser
Biogeosciences, 21, 2189–2206, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2189-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2189-2024, 2024
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The timing of the net primary production annual maxima in the North Atlantic in the period 1750–2100 is investigated using two Earth system models and the high-emissions scenario SSP5-8.5. It is found that, for most of the region, the annual maxima occur progressively earlier, with the most change occurring after the year 2000. Shifts in the seasonality of the primary production may impact the entire ecosystem, which highlights the need for long-term monitoring campaigns in this area.
Nicole M. Travis, Colette L. Kelly, and Karen L. Casciotti
Biogeosciences, 21, 1985–2004, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1985-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1985-2024, 2024
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We conducted experimental manipulations of light level on microbial communities from the primary nitrite maximum. Overall, while individual microbial processes have different directions and magnitudes in their response to increasing light, the net community response is a decline in nitrite production with increasing light. We conclude that while increased light may decrease net nitrite production, high-light conditions alone do not exclude nitrification from occurring in the surface ocean.
Zoë Rebecca van Kemenade, Zeynep Erdem, Ellen Christine Hopmans, Jaap Smede Sinninghe Damsté, and Darci Rush
Biogeosciences, 21, 1517–1532, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1517-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1517-2024, 2024
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The California Current system (CCS) hosts the eastern subtropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone (ESTNP OMZ). This study shows anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria cause a loss of bioavailable nitrogen (N) in the ESTNP OMZ throughout the late Quaternary. Anammox occurred during both glacial and interglacial periods and was driven by the supply of organic matter and changes in ocean currents. These findings may have important consequences for biogeochemical models of the CCS.
Cathy Wimart-Rousseau, Tobias Steinhoff, Birgit Klein, Henry Bittig, and Arne Körtzinger
Biogeosciences, 21, 1191–1211, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1191-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1191-2024, 2024
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The marine CO2 system can be measured independently and continuously by BGC-Argo floats since numerous pH sensors have been developed to suit these autonomous measurements platforms. By applying the Argo correction routines to float pH data acquired in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean, we report the uncertainty and lack of objective criteria associated with the choice of the reference method as well the reference depth for the pH correction.
Sabine Mecking and Kyla Drushka
Biogeosciences, 21, 1117–1133, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1117-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1117-2024, 2024
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This study investigates whether northeastern North Pacific oxygen changes may be caused by surface density changes in the northwest as water moves along density horizons from the surface into the subsurface ocean. A correlation is found with a lag that about matches the travel time of water from the northwest to the northeast. Salinity is the main driver causing decadal changes in surface density, whereas salinity and temperature contribute about equally to long-term declining density trends.
Takamitsu Ito, Hernan E. Garcia, Zhankun Wang, Shoshiro Minobe, Matthew C. Long, Just Cebrian, James Reagan, Tim Boyer, Christopher Paver, Courtney Bouchard, Yohei Takano, Seth Bushinsky, Ahron Cervania, and Curtis A. Deutsch
Biogeosciences, 21, 747–759, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-747-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-747-2024, 2024
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This study aims to estimate how much oceanic oxygen has been lost and its uncertainties. One major source of uncertainty comes from the statistical gap-filling methods. Outputs from Earth system models are used to generate synthetic observations where oxygen data are extracted from the model output at the location and time of historical oceanographic cruises. Reconstructed oxygen trend is approximately two-thirds of the true trend.
Robert W. Izett, Katja Fennel, Adam C. Stoer, and David P. Nicholson
Biogeosciences, 21, 13–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-13-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-13-2024, 2024
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This paper provides an overview of the capacity to expand the global coverage of marine primary production estimates using autonomous ocean-going instruments, called Biogeochemical-Argo floats. We review existing approaches to quantifying primary production using floats, provide examples of the current implementation of the methods, and offer insights into how they can be better exploited. This paper is timely, given the ongoing expansion of the Biogeochemical-Argo array.
Qian Liu, Yingjie Liu, and Xiaofeng Li
Biogeosciences, 20, 4857–4874, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4857-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4857-2023, 2023
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In the Southern Ocean, abundant eddies behave opposite to our expectations. That is, anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies are cold (warm). By investigating the variations of physical and biochemical parameters in eddies, we find that abnormal eddies have unique and significant effects on modulating the parameters. This study fills a gap in understanding the effects of abnormal eddies on physical and biochemical parameters in the Southern Ocean.
Caroline Ulses, Claude Estournel, Patrick Marsaleix, Karline Soetaert, Marine Fourrier, Laurent Coppola, Dominique Lefèvre, Franck Touratier, Catherine Goyet, Véronique Guglielmi, Fayçal Kessouri, Pierre Testor, and Xavier Durrieu de Madron
Biogeosciences, 20, 4683–4710, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4683-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4683-2023, 2023
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Deep convection plays a key role in the circulation, thermodynamics, and biogeochemical cycles in the Mediterranean Sea, considered to be a hotspot of biodiversity and climate change. In this study, we investigate the seasonal and annual budget of dissolved inorganic carbon in the deep-convection area of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.
Daniela König and Alessandro Tagliabue
Biogeosciences, 20, 4197–4212, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4197-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4197-2023, 2023
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Using model simulations, we show that natural and anthropogenic changes in the global climate leave a distinct fingerprint in the isotopic signatures of iron in the surface ocean. We find that these climate effects on iron isotopes are often caused by the redistribution of iron from different external sources to the ocean, due to changes in ocean currents, and by changes in algal growth, which take up iron. Thus, isotopes may help detect climate-induced changes in iron supply and algal uptake.
Chloé Baumas, Robin Fuchs, Marc Garel, Jean-Christophe Poggiale, Laurent Memery, Frédéric A. C. Le Moigne, and Christian Tamburini
Biogeosciences, 20, 4165–4182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4165-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4165-2023, 2023
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Through the sink of particles in the ocean, carbon (C) is exported and sequestered when reaching 1000 m. Attempts to quantify C exported vs. C consumed by heterotrophs have increased. Yet most of the conducted estimations have led to C demands several times higher than C export. The choice of parameters greatly impacts the results. As theses parameters are overlooked, non-accurate values are often used. In this study we show that C budgets can be well balanced when using appropriate values.
Anna Belcher, Sian F. Henley, Katharine Hendry, Marianne Wootton, Lisa Friberg, Ursula Dallman, Tong Wang, Christopher Coath, and Clara Manno
Biogeosciences, 20, 3573–3591, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3573-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3573-2023, 2023
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The oceans play a crucial role in the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide, particularly the Southern Ocean. The biological pumping of carbon from the surface to the deep ocean is key to this. Using sediment trap samples from the Scotia Sea, we examine biogeochemical fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and biogenic silica and their stable isotope compositions. We find phytoplankton community structure and physically mediated processes are important controls on particulate fluxes to the deep ocean.
Asmita Singh, Susanne Fietz, Sandy J. Thomalla, Nicolas Sanchez, Murat V. Ardelan, Sébastien Moreau, Hanna M. Kauko, Agneta Fransson, Melissa Chierici, Saumik Samanta, Thato N. Mtshali, Alakendra N. Roychoudhury, and Thomas J. Ryan-Keogh
Biogeosciences, 20, 3073–3091, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3073-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3073-2023, 2023
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Despite the scarcity of iron in the Southern Ocean, seasonal blooms occur due to changes in nutrient and light availability. Surprisingly, during an autumn bloom in the Antarctic sea-ice zone, the results from incubation experiments showed no significant photophysiological response of phytoplankton to iron addition. This suggests that ambient iron concentrations were sufficient, challenging the notion of iron deficiency in the Southern Ocean through extended iron-replete post-bloom conditions.
Benoît Pasquier, Mark Holzer, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Richard J. Matear, Nathaniel L. Bindoff, and François W. Primeau
Biogeosciences, 20, 2985–3009, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2985-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2985-2023, 2023
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Modeling the ocean's carbon and oxygen cycles accurately is challenging. Parameter optimization improves the fit to observed tracers but can introduce artifacts in the biological pump. Organic-matter production and subsurface remineralization rates adjust to compensate for circulation biases, changing the pathways and timescales with which nutrients return to the surface. Circulation biases can thus strongly alter the system’s response to ecological change, even when parameters are optimized.
Priyanka Banerjee
Biogeosciences, 20, 2613–2643, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2613-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2613-2023, 2023
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This study shows that atmospheric deposition is the most important source of iron to the upper northern Indian Ocean for phytoplankton growth. This is followed by iron from continental-shelf sediment. Phytoplankton increase following iron addition is possible only with high background levels of nitrate. Vertical mixing is the most important physical process supplying iron to the upper ocean in this region throughout the year. The importance of ocean currents in supplying iron varies seasonally.
Iris Kriest, Julia Getzlaff, Angela Landolfi, Volkmar Sauerland, Markus Schartau, and Andreas Oschlies
Biogeosciences, 20, 2645–2669, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2645-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2645-2023, 2023
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Global biogeochemical ocean models are often subjectively assessed and tuned against observations. We applied different strategies to calibrate a global model against observations. Although the calibrated models show similar tracer distributions at the surface, they differ in global biogeochemical fluxes, especially in global particle flux. Simulated global volume of oxygen minimum zones varies strongly with calibration strategy and over time, rendering its temporal extrapolation difficult.
John C. Tracey, Andrew R. Babbin, Elizabeth Wallace, Xin Sun, Katherine L. DuRussel, Claudia Frey, Donald E. Martocello III, Tyler Tamasi, Sergey Oleynik, and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 20, 2499–2523, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2499-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2499-2023, 2023
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Nitrogen (N) is essential for life; thus, its availability plays a key role in determining marine productivity. Using incubations of seawater spiked with a rare form of N measurable on a mass spectrometer, we quantified microbial pathways that determine marine N availability. The results show that pathways that recycle N have higher rates than those that result in its loss from biomass and present new evidence for anaerobic nitrite oxidation, a process long thought to be strictly aerobic.
Amanda Gerotto, Hongrui Zhang, Renata Hanae Nagai, Heather M. Stoll, Rubens César Lopes Figueira, Chuanlian Liu, and Iván Hernández-Almeida
Biogeosciences, 20, 1725–1739, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, 2023
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Based on the analysis of the response of coccolithophores’ morphological attributes in a laboratory dissolution experiment and surface sediment samples from the South China Sea, we proposed that the thickness shape (ks) factor of fossil coccoliths together with the normalized ks variation, which is the ratio of the standard deviation of ks (σ) over the mean ks (σ/ks), is a robust and novel proxy to reconstruct past changes in deep ocean carbon chemistry.
Katherine E. Turner, Doug M. Smith, Anna Katavouta, and Richard G. Williams
Biogeosciences, 20, 1671–1690, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1671-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1671-2023, 2023
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We present a new method for reconstructing ocean carbon using climate models and temperature and salinity observations. To test this method, we reconstruct modelled carbon using synthetic observations consistent with current sampling programmes. Sensitivity tests show skill in reconstructing carbon trends and variability within the upper 2000 m. Our results indicate that this method can be used for a new global estimate for ocean carbon content.
Alexandre Mignot, Hervé Claustre, Gianpiero Cossarini, Fabrizio D'Ortenzio, Elodie Gutknecht, Julien Lamouroux, Paolo Lazzari, Coralie Perruche, Stefano Salon, Raphaëlle Sauzède, Vincent Taillandier, and Anna Teruzzi
Biogeosciences, 20, 1405–1422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1405-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1405-2023, 2023
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Numerical models of ocean biogeochemistry are becoming a major tool to detect and predict the impact of climate change on marine resources and monitor ocean health. Here, we demonstrate the use of the global array of BGC-Argo floats for the assessment of biogeochemical models. We first detail the handling of the BGC-Argo data set for model assessment purposes. We then present 23 assessment metrics to quantify the consistency of BGC model simulations with respect to BGC-Argo data.
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Short summary
The goal of this manuscript was to track the fate of newly fixed nitrogen (N) in large volume mesocosms in the coastal waters of New Caledonia. We used a N isotope ("δ15N") budget and found a shift in the δ15N of sinking particulate N over the 23-day experiment, indicating that nitrate supported export production at the beginning of the experiment, but that nitrogen fixation supported export at the end. We infer that nitrogen fixation supported export production by a release of dissolved N.
The goal of this manuscript was to track the fate of newly fixed nitrogen (N) in large volume...
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