Articles | Volume 16, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3621-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3621-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
24 Sep 2019
Research article |
| 24 Sep 2019
| 24 Sep 2019
Isotopic fractionation of carbon during uptake by phytoplankton across the South Atlantic subtropical convergence
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Raja S. Ganeshram
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Matthew P. Humphreys
Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
now at: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East
Anglia, Norwich, UK
Thomas J. Browning
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
now at: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel,
Germany
Heather Bouman
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Alexander P. Piotrowski
School of Geosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Adam Francis, Raja S. Ganeshram, Robyn E. Tuerena, Robert G. M. Spencer, Robert M. Holmes, Jennifer A. Rogers, and Claire Mahaffey
Biogeosciences, 20, 365–382, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-365-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-365-2023, 2023
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Climate change is causing extensive permafrost degradation and nutrient releases into rivers with great ecological impacts on the Arctic Ocean. We focused on nitrogen (N) release from this degradation and associated cycling using N isotopes, an understudied area. Many N species are released at degradation sites with exchanges between species. N inputs from permafrost degradation and seasonal river N trends were identified using isotopes, helping to predict climate change impacts.
Marta Santos-Garcia, Raja S. Ganeshram, Robyn E. Tuerena, Margot C. F. Debyser, Katrine Husum, Philipp Assmy, and Haakon Hop
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Terrestrial sources of nitrate are important contributors to the nutrient pool in the fjords of Kongsfjorden and Rijpfjorden in Svalbard during the summer, and they sustain most of the fjord primary productivity. Ongoing tidewater glacier retreat is postulated to favour light limitation and less dynamic circulation in fjords. This is suggested to encourage the export of nutrients to the middle and outer part of the fjord system, which may enhance primary production within and in offshore areas.
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We focus on the exchange of key nutrients for algae production between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans through the Fram Strait. We show that the export of dissolved silicon here is controlled by the availability of nitrate which is influenced by denitrification on Arctic shelves. We suggest that any future changes in the river inputs of silica and changes in denitrification due to climate change will impact the amount of silicon exported, with impacts on Atlantic algal productivity and ecology.
Charlotte Haugk, Loeka L. Jongejans, Kai Mangelsdorf, Matthias Fuchs, Olga Ogneva, Juri Palmtag, Gesine Mollenhauer, Paul J. Mann, P. Paul Overduin, Guido Grosse, Tina Sanders, Robyn E. Tuerena, Lutz Schirrmeister, Sebastian Wetterich, Alexander Kizyakov, Cornelia Karger, and Jens Strauss
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Buried animal and plant remains (carbon) from the last ice age were freeze-locked in permafrost. At an extremely fast eroding permafrost cliff in the Lena Delta (Siberia), we found this formerly frozen carbon well preserved. Our results show that ongoing degradation releases substantial amounts of this carbon, making it available for future carbon emissions. This mobilisation at the studied cliff and also similarly eroding sites bear the potential to affect rivers and oceans negatively.
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This work describes a ready-to-use collection of particulate organic carbon stable isotope ratio data sets. It covers the 1960s–2010s and all main oceans, providing meta-information and gridded data. The best coverage exists in Atlantic, Indian and Southern Ocean surface waters during the 1990s. It indicates no major difference between methods and shows decreasing values towards high latitudes, with the lowest in the Southern Ocean, and a long-term decline in all regions but the Southern Ocean.
Robyn E. Tuerena, Joanne Hopkins, Raja S. Ganeshram, Louisa Norman, Camille de la Vega, Rachel Jeffreys, and Claire Mahaffey
Biogeosciences, 18, 637–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-637-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-637-2021, 2021
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The Barents Sea is a rapidly changing shallow sea within the Arctic. Here, nitrate, an essential nutrient, is fully consumed by algae in surface waters during summer months. Nitrate is efficiently regenerated in the Barents Sea, and there is no evidence for nitrogen loss from the sediments by denitrification, which is prevalent on other Arctic shelves. This suggests that nitrogen availability in the Barents Sea is largely determined by the supply of nutrients in water masses from the Atlantic.
Louise Delaigue, Gert-Jan Reichart, Chris Galley, Yasmina Ourradi, and Matthew Paul Humphreys
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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.
Matthew P. Humphreys
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The ocean takes up carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, slowing climate change. This CO2 uptake is controlled by a property called ƒCO2. Seawater ƒCO2 changes as seawater warms or cools, although by an uncertain amount; measurements and calculations give inconsistent results. Here, we work out how ƒCO2 should, in theory, respond to temperature. This matches field data and model calculations but still has discrepancies with scarce laboratory results, which need more measurements to resolve.
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Preprint withdrawn
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The isotope effect of biological N2 fixation is a key parameter for understanding the nitrogen cycle, however, little is known about its regulatory mechanisms. Here we show for the first time that CO2 exerts important controls on the N isotopic composition in diazotrophic cyanobacteria Trichodesmium and Crocosphaera, through the controls on nitrogenase enzyme efficiency. This study provides insights into understanding the fluctuations of δ15N records, and thus the past nitrogen cycle.
Adam Francis, Raja S. Ganeshram, Robyn E. Tuerena, Robert G. M. Spencer, Robert M. Holmes, Jennifer A. Rogers, and Claire Mahaffey
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Climate change is causing extensive permafrost degradation and nutrient releases into rivers with great ecological impacts on the Arctic Ocean. We focused on nitrogen (N) release from this degradation and associated cycling using N isotopes, an understudied area. Many N species are released at degradation sites with exchanges between species. N inputs from permafrost degradation and seasonal river N trends were identified using isotopes, helping to predict climate change impacts.
Marta Santos-Garcia, Raja S. Ganeshram, Robyn E. Tuerena, Margot C. F. Debyser, Katrine Husum, Philipp Assmy, and Haakon Hop
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GLODAP is a data product for ocean inorganic carbon and related biogeochemical variables measured by the chemical analysis of water bottle samples from scientific cruises. GLODAPv2.2022 is the fourth update of GLODAPv2 from 2016. The data that are included have been subjected to extensive quality controlling, including systematic evaluation of measurement biases. This version contains data from 1085 hydrographic cruises covering the world's oceans from 1972 to 2021.
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We focus on the exchange of key nutrients for algae production between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans through the Fram Strait. We show that the export of dissolved silicon here is controlled by the availability of nitrate which is influenced by denitrification on Arctic shelves. We suggest that any future changes in the river inputs of silica and changes in denitrification due to climate change will impact the amount of silicon exported, with impacts on Atlantic algal productivity and ecology.
Zuozhu Wen, Thomas J. Browning, Rongbo Dai, Wenwei Wu, Weiying Li, Xiaohua Hu, Wenfang Lin, Lifang Wang, Xin Liu, Zhimian Cao, Haizheng Hong, and Dalin Shi
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Buried animal and plant remains (carbon) from the last ice age were freeze-locked in permafrost. At an extremely fast eroding permafrost cliff in the Lena Delta (Siberia), we found this formerly frozen carbon well preserved. Our results show that ongoing degradation releases substantial amounts of this carbon, making it available for future carbon emissions. This mobilisation at the studied cliff and also similarly eroding sites bear the potential to affect rivers and oceans negatively.
Olivier Sulpis, Matthew P. Humphreys, Monica M. Wilhelmus, Dustin Carroll, William M. Berelson, Dimitris Menemenlis, Jack J. Middelburg, and Jess F. Adkins
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The ocean helps to mitigate our impact on Earth's climate by absorbing about a quarter of the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by human activities each year. However, once absorbed, chemical reactions between CO2 and water reduce seawater pH (
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Maria-Theresia Verwega, Christopher J. Somes, Markus Schartau, Robyn Elizabeth Tuerena, Anne Lorrain, Andreas Oschlies, and Thomas Slawig
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4861–4880, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4861-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4861-2021, 2021
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This work describes a ready-to-use collection of particulate organic carbon stable isotope ratio data sets. It covers the 1960s–2010s and all main oceans, providing meta-information and gridded data. The best coverage exists in Atlantic, Indian and Southern Ocean surface waters during the 1990s. It indicates no major difference between methods and shows decreasing values towards high latitudes, with the lowest in the Southern Ocean, and a long-term decline in all regions but the Southern Ocean.
Neil J. Wyatt, Angela Milne, Eric P. Achterberg, Thomas J. Browning, Heather A. Bouman, E. Malcolm S. Woodward, and Maeve C. Lohan
Biogeosciences, 18, 4265–4280, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4265-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4265-2021, 2021
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Using data collected during two expeditions to the South Atlantic Ocean, we investigated how the interaction between external sources and biological activity influenced the availability of the trace metals zinc and cobalt. This is important as both metals play essential roles in the metabolism and growth of phytoplankton and thus influence primary productivity of the oceans. We found seasonal changes in both processes that helped explain upper-ocean trace metal cycling.
Luca Possenti, Ingunn Skjelvan, Dariia Atamanchuk, Anders Tengberg, Matthew P. Humphreys, Socratis Loucaides, Liam Fernand, and Jan Kaiser
Ocean Sci., 17, 593–614, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-593-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-593-2021, 2021
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A Seaglider was deployed for 8 months in the Norwegian Sea mounting an oxygen and, for the first time, a CO2 optode and a chlorophyll fluorescence sensor. The oxygen and CO2 data were used to assess the spatial and temporal variability and calculate the net community production, N(O2) and N(CT). The dataset was used to calculate net community production from inventory changes, air–sea flux, diapycnal mixing and entrainment.
Maximiliano J. Vergara-Jara, Mark J. Hopwood, Thomas J. Browning, Insa Rapp, Rodrigo Torres, Brian Reid, Eric P. Achterberg, and José Luis Iriarte
Ocean Sci., 17, 561–578, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-561-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-561-2021, 2021
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Ash from the Calbuco 2015 eruption spread across northern Patagonia, the SE Pacific and the SW Atlantic. In the Pacific, a phytoplankton bloom corresponded closely to the volcanic ash plume, suggesting that ash fertilized this region of the ocean. No such fertilization was found in the Atlantic where nutrients plausibly supplied by ash were likely already in excess of phytoplankton demand. In Patagonia, the May bloom was more intense than usual, but the mechanistic link to ash was less clear.
Robyn E. Tuerena, Joanne Hopkins, Raja S. Ganeshram, Louisa Norman, Camille de la Vega, Rachel Jeffreys, and Claire Mahaffey
Biogeosciences, 18, 637–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-637-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-637-2021, 2021
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The Barents Sea is a rapidly changing shallow sea within the Arctic. Here, nitrate, an essential nutrient, is fully consumed by algae in surface waters during summer months. Nitrate is efficiently regenerated in the Barents Sea, and there is no evidence for nitrogen loss from the sediments by denitrification, which is prevalent on other Arctic shelves. This suggests that nitrogen availability in the Barents Sea is largely determined by the supply of nutrients in water masses from the Atlantic.
Hannah K. Donald, Gavin L. Foster, Nico Fröhberg, George E. A. Swann, Alex J. Poulton, C. Mark Moore, and Matthew P. Humphreys
Biogeosciences, 17, 2825–2837, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2825-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2825-2020, 2020
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The boron isotope pH proxy is increasingly being used to reconstruct ocean pH in the past. Here we detail a novel analytical methodology for measuring the boron isotopic composition (δ11B) of diatom opal and apply this to the study of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii grown in culture over a range of pH. To our knowledge this is the first study of its kind and provides unique insights into the way in which diatoms incorporate boron and their potential as archives of palaeoclimate records.
Yingxu Wu, Mathis P. Hain, Matthew P. Humphreys, Sue Hartman, and Toby Tyrrell
Biogeosciences, 16, 2661–2681, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2661-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2661-2019, 2019
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This study takes advantage of the GLODAPv2 database to investigate the processes driving the surface ocean dissolved inorganic carbon distribution, with the focus on its latitudinal gradient between the polar oceans and the low-latitude oceans. Based on our quantitative study, we find that temperature-driven CO2 gas exchange and high-latitude upwelling of DIC- and TA-rich deep waters are the two major drivers, with the importance of the latter not having been previously realized.
Ruth S. Hindshaw, Nicholas J. Tosca, Alexander M. Piotrowski, and Edward T. Tipper
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 141–161, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-141-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-141-2018, 2018
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For many applications in Earth sciences it is important to know where river and ocean sediments have originated. In this study we used geochemical and mineralogical tracers to characterise sediments from Svalbard. We find that the sediments are formed from two sources: old rocks in Greenland and younger rocks in Siberia. Glaciation influences how much of each end-member is present in the river sediments today, implying that the sediment composition can change through time as the climate changes.
Heather A. Bouman, Trevor Platt, Martina Doblin, Francisco G. Figueiras, Kristinn Gudmundsson, Hafsteinn G. Gudfinnsson, Bangqin Huang, Anna Hickman, Michael Hiscock, Thomas Jackson, Vivian A. Lutz, Frédéric Mélin, Francisco Rey, Pierre Pepin, Valeria Segura, Gavin H. Tilstone, Virginie van Dongen-Vogels, and Shubha Sathyendranath
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 251–266, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-251-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-251-2018, 2018
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The photosynthetic response of marine phytoplankton to available irradiance is a central part of satellite-based models of ocean productivity. This study brings together data from a variety of oceanographic campaigns to examine how the parameters of photosynthesis–irradiance response curves vary over the global ocean. This global synthesis reveals biogeographic, latitudinal and depth-dependent patterns in the photosynthetic properties of natural phytoplankton assemblages.
Meike Becker, Nils Andersen, Helmut Erlenkeuser, Matthew P. Humphreys, Toste Tanhua, and Arne Körtzinger
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 8, 559–570, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-559-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-559-2016, 2016
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The stable carbon isotope composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13C-DIC) can be used to quantify fluxes within the marine carbon system such as the exchange between ocean and atmosphere or the amount of anthropogenic carbon in the water column. In this study, an internally consistent δ13C-DIC dataset for the North Atlantic is presented. The data have undergone a secondary quality control during which systematic biases between the respective cruises have been quantified and adjusted.
Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Benjamin Pfeil, Camilla S. Landa, Nicolas Metzl, Kevin M. O'Brien, Are Olsen, Karl Smith, Cathy Cosca, Sumiko Harasawa, Stephen D. Jones, Shin-ichiro Nakaoka, Yukihiro Nojiri, Ute Schuster, Tobias Steinhoff, Colm Sweeney, Taro Takahashi, Bronte Tilbrook, Chisato Wada, Rik Wanninkhof, Simone R. Alin, Carlos F. Balestrini, Leticia Barbero, Nicholas R. Bates, Alejandro A. Bianchi, Frédéric Bonou, Jacqueline Boutin, Yann Bozec, Eugene F. Burger, Wei-Jun Cai, Robert D. Castle, Liqi Chen, Melissa Chierici, Kim Currie, Wiley Evans, Charles Featherstone, Richard A. Feely, Agneta Fransson, Catherine Goyet, Naomi Greenwood, Luke Gregor, Steven Hankin, Nick J. Hardman-Mountford, Jérôme Harlay, Judith Hauck, Mario Hoppema, Matthew P. Humphreys, Christopher W. Hunt, Betty Huss, J. Severino P. Ibánhez, Truls Johannessen, Ralph Keeling, Vassilis Kitidis, Arne Körtzinger, Alex Kozyr, Evangelia Krasakopoulou, Akira Kuwata, Peter Landschützer, Siv K. Lauvset, Nathalie Lefèvre, Claire Lo Monaco, Ansley Manke, Jeremy T. Mathis, Liliane Merlivat, Frank J. Millero, Pedro M. S. Monteiro, David R. Munro, Akihiko Murata, Timothy Newberger, Abdirahman M. Omar, Tsuneo Ono, Kristina Paterson, David Pearce, Denis Pierrot, Lisa L. Robbins, Shu Saito, Joe Salisbury, Reiner Schlitzer, Bernd Schneider, Roland Schweitzer, Rainer Sieger, Ingunn Skjelvan, Kevin F. Sullivan, Stewart C. Sutherland, Adrienne J. Sutton, Kazuaki Tadokoro, Maciej Telszewski, Matthias Tuma, Steven M. A. C. van Heuven, Doug Vandemark, Brian Ward, Andrew J. Watson, and Suqing Xu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 8, 383–413, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-383-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-383-2016, 2016
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Version 3 of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (www.socat.info) has 14.5 million CO2 (carbon dioxide) values for the years 1957 to 2014 covering the global oceans and coastal seas. Version 3 is an update to version 2 with a longer record and 44 % more CO2 values. The CO2 measurements have been made on ships, fixed moorings and drifting buoys. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification, as well as model evaluation, thus informing climate negotiations.
Matthew P. Humphreys, Florence M. Greatrix, Eithne Tynan, Eric P. Achterberg, Alex M. Griffiths, Claudia H. Fry, Rebecca Garley, Alison McDonald, and Adrian J. Boyce
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 8, 221–233, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-221-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-221-2016, 2016
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This paper reports the stable isotope composition of dissolved inorganic carbon in seawater for a transect from west to east across the North Atlantic Ocean. The results can be used to study oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, and also to investigate the natural biological carbon pump. We also provide stable DIC isotope results for two batches of Dickson seawater CRMs to enable intercomparisons with other studies.
M. P. Humphreys, E. P. Achterberg, A. M. Griffiths, A. McDonald, and A. J. Boyce
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 7, 127–135, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-7-127-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-7-127-2015, 2015
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We present measurements of the stable carbon isotope composition of seawater dissolved inorganic carbon. The samples were collected during two research cruises in boreal summer 2012 in the northeastern Atlantic and Nordic Seas. The results can be used to investigate the marine carbon cycle, providing information about biological productivity and oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide.
T. J. Browning, H. A. Bouman, C. M. Moore, C. Schlosser, G. A. Tarran, E. M. S. Woodward, and G. M. Henderson
Biogeosciences, 11, 463–479, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-463-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-463-2014, 2014
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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
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
The representation of alkalinity and the carbonate pump from CMIP5 to CMIP6 Earth system models and implications for the carbon cycle
Model estimates of metazoans' contributions to the biological carbon pump
Tracing differences in iron supply to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge valley between hydrothermal vent sites: implications for the addition of iron to the deep ocean
Nitrite cycling in the primary nitrite maxima of the eastern tropical North Pacific
Hotspots and drivers of compound marine heatwaves and low net primary production extremes
Ecosystem impacts of marine heat waves in the northeast Pacific
Tracing the role of Arctic shelf processes in Si and N cycling and export through the Fram Strait: insights from combined silicon and nitrate isotopes
Controls on the relative abundances and rates of nitrifying microorganisms in the ocean
The response of diazotrophs to nutrient amendment in the South China Sea and western North Pacific
Influence of GEOTRACES data distribution and misfit function choice on objective parameter retrieval in a marine zinc cycle model
Physiological flexibility of phytoplankton impacts modelled chlorophyll and primary production across the North Pacific Ocean
Observation-constrained estimates of the global ocean carbon sink from Earth system models
Early winter barium excess in the southern Indian Ocean as an annual remineralisation proxy (GEOTRACES GIPr07 cruise)
Controlling factors on the global distribution of a representative marine non-cyanobacterial diazotroph phylotype (Gamma A)
Summer trends and drivers of sea surface fCO2 and pH changes observed in the southern Indian Ocean over the last two decades (1998–2019)
Global nutrient cycling by commercially targeted marine fish
Major processes of the dissolved cobalt cycle in the North and equatorial Pacific Ocean
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.
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.
Alban Planchat, Lester Kwiatkowski, Laurent Bopp, Olivier Torres, James R. Christian, Momme Butenschön, Tomas Lovato, Roland Séférian, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Olivier Aumont, Michio Watanabe, Akitomo Yamamoto, Andrew Yool, Tatiana Ilyina, Hiroyuki Tsujino, Kristen M. Krumhardt, Jörg Schwinger, Jerry Tjiputra, John P. Dunne, and Charles Stock
Biogeosciences, 20, 1195–1257, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1195-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1195-2023, 2023
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Ocean alkalinity is critical to the uptake of atmospheric carbon and acidification in surface waters. We review the representation of alkalinity and the associated calcium carbonate cycle in Earth system models. While many parameterizations remain present in the latest generation of models, there is a general improvement in the simulated alkalinity distribution. This improvement is related to an increase in the export of biotic calcium carbonate, which closer resembles observations.
Jérôme Pinti, Tim DeVries, Tommy Norin, Camila Serra-Pompei, Roland Proud, David A. Siegel, Thomas Kiørboe, Colleen M. Petrik, Ken H. Andersen, Andrew S. Brierley, and André W. Visser
Biogeosciences, 20, 997–1009, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-997-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-997-2023, 2023
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Large numbers of marine organisms such as zooplankton and fish perform daily vertical migration between the surface (at night) and the depths (in the daytime). This fascinating migration is important for the carbon cycle, as these organisms actively bring carbon to depths where it is stored away from the atmosphere for a long time. Here, we quantify the contributions of different animals to this carbon drawdown and storage and show that fish are important to the biological carbon pump.
Alastair J. M. Lough, Alessandro Tagliabue, Clément Demasy, Joseph A. Resing, Travis Mellett, Neil J. Wyatt, and Maeve C. Lohan
Biogeosciences, 20, 405–420, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-405-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-405-2023, 2023
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Iron is a key nutrient for ocean primary productivity. Hydrothermal vents are a source of iron to the oceans, but the size of this source is poorly understood. This study examines the variability in iron inputs between hydrothermal vents in different geological settings. The vents studied release different amounts of Fe, resulting in plumes with similar dissolved iron concentrations but different particulate concentrations. This will help to refine modelling of iron-limited ocean productivity.
Nicole M. Travis, Colette L. Kelly, Margaret R. Mulholland, and Karen L. Casciotti
Biogeosciences, 20, 325–347, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-325-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-325-2023, 2023
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The primary nitrite maximum is a ubiquitous upper ocean feature where nitrite accumulates, but we still do not understand its formation and the co-occurring microbial processes involved. Using correlative methods and rates measurements, we found strong spatial patterns between environmental conditions and depths of the nitrite maxima, but not the maximum concentrations. Nitrification was the dominant source of nitrite, with occasional high nitrite production from phytoplankton near the coast.
Natacha Le Grix, Jakob Zscheischler, Keith B. Rodgers, Ryohei Yamaguchi, and Thomas L. Frölicher
Biogeosciences, 19, 5807–5835, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5807-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5807-2022, 2022
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Compound events threaten marine ecosystems. Here, we investigate the potentially harmful combination of marine heatwaves with low phytoplankton productivity. Using satellite-based observations, we show that these compound events are frequent in the low latitudes. We then investigate the drivers of these compound events using Earth system models. The models share similar drivers in the low latitudes but disagree in the high latitudes due to divergent factors limiting phytoplankton production.
Abigale M. Wyatt, Laure Resplandy, and Adrian Marchetti
Biogeosciences, 19, 5689–5705, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5689-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5689-2022, 2022
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Marine heat waves (MHWs) are a frequent event in the northeast Pacific, with a large impact on the region's ecosystems. Large phytoplankton in the North Pacific Transition Zone are greatly affected by decreased nutrients, with less of an impact in the Alaskan Gyre. For small phytoplankton, MHWs increase the spring small phytoplankton population in both regions thanks to reduced light limitation. In both zones, this results in a significant decrease in the ratio of large to small phytoplankton.
Margot C. F. Debyser, Laetitia Pichevin, Robyn E. Tuerena, Paul A. Dodd, Antonia Doncila, and Raja S. Ganeshram
Biogeosciences, 19, 5499–5520, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5499-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5499-2022, 2022
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We focus on the exchange of key nutrients for algae production between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans through the Fram Strait. We show that the export of dissolved silicon here is controlled by the availability of nitrate which is influenced by denitrification on Arctic shelves. We suggest that any future changes in the river inputs of silica and changes in denitrification due to climate change will impact the amount of silicon exported, with impacts on Atlantic algal productivity and ecology.
Emily J. Zakem, Barbara Bayer, Wei Qin, Alyson E. Santoro, Yao Zhang, and Naomi M. Levine
Biogeosciences, 19, 5401–5418, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5401-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5401-2022, 2022
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We use a microbial ecosystem model to quantitatively explain the mechanisms controlling observed relative abundances and nitrification rates of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing microorganisms in the ocean. We also estimate how much global carbon fixation can be associated with chemoautotrophic nitrification. Our results improve our understanding of the controls on nitrification, laying the groundwork for more accurate predictions in global climate models.
Zuozhu Wen, Thomas J. Browning, Rongbo Dai, Wenwei Wu, Weiying Li, Xiaohua Hu, Wenfang Lin, Lifang Wang, Xin Liu, Zhimian Cao, Haizheng Hong, and Dalin Shi
Biogeosciences, 19, 5237–5250, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5237-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5237-2022, 2022
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Fe and P are key factors controlling the biogeography and activity of marine N2-fixing microorganisms. We found lower abundance and activity of N2 fixers in the northern South China Sea than around the western boundary of the North Pacific, and N2 fixation rates switched from Fe–P co-limitation to P limitation. We hypothesize the Fe supply rates and Fe utilization strategies of each N2 fixer are important in regulating spatial variability in community structure across the study area.
Claudia Eisenring, Sophy E. Oliver, Samar Khatiwala, and Gregory F. de Souza
Biogeosciences, 19, 5079–5106, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5079-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5079-2022, 2022
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Given the sparsity of observational constraints on micronutrients such as zinc (Zn), we assess the sensitivities of a framework for objective parameter optimisation in an oceanic Zn cycling model. Our ensemble of optimisations towards synthetic data with varying kinds of uncertainty shows that deficiencies related to model complexity and the choice of the misfit function generally have a greater impact on the retrieval of model Zn uptake behaviour than does the limitation of data coverage.
Yoshikazu Sasai, Sherwood Lan Smith, Eko Siswanto, Hideharu Sasaki, and Masami Nonaka
Biogeosciences, 19, 4865–4882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4865-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4865-2022, 2022
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We have investigated the adaptive response of phytoplankton growth to changing light, nutrients, and temperature over the North Pacific using two physical-biological models. We compare modeled chlorophyll and primary production from an inflexible control model (InFlexPFT), which assumes fixed carbon (C):nitrogen (N):chlorophyll (Chl) ratios, to a recently developed flexible phytoplankton functional type model (FlexPFT), which incorporates photoacclimation and variable C:N:Chl ratios.
Jens Terhaar, Thomas L. Frölicher, and Fortunat Joos
Biogeosciences, 19, 4431–4457, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4431-2022, 2022
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Estimates of the ocean sink of anthropogenic carbon vary across various approaches. We show that the global ocean carbon sink can be estimated by three parameters, two of which approximate the ocean ventilation in the Southern Ocean and the North Atlantic, and one of which approximates the chemical capacity of the ocean to take up carbon. With observations of these parameters, we estimate that the global ocean carbon sink is 10 % larger than previously assumed, and we cut uncertainties in half.
Natasha René van Horsten, Hélène Planquette, Géraldine Sarthou, Thomas James Ryan-Keogh, Nolwenn Lemaitre, Thato Nicholas Mtshali, Alakendra Roychoudhury, and Eva Bucciarelli
Biogeosciences, 19, 3209–3224, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3209-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3209-2022, 2022
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The remineralisation proxy, barite, was measured along 30°E in the southern Indian Ocean during early austral winter. To our knowledge this is the first reported Southern Ocean winter study. Concentrations throughout the water column were comparable to observations during spring to autumn. By linking satellite primary production to this proxy a possible annual timescale is proposed. These findings also suggest possible carbon remineralisation from satellite data on a basin scale.
Zhibo Shao and Ya-Wei Luo
Biogeosciences, 19, 2939–2952, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2939-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2939-2022, 2022
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Non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs) may be an important player in fixing N2 in the ocean. By conducting meta-analyses, we found that a representative marine NCD phylotype, Gamma A, tends to inhabit ocean environments with high productivity, low iron concentration and high light intensity. It also appears to be more abundant inside cyclonic eddies. Our study suggests a niche differentiation of NCDs from cyanobacterial diazotrophs as the latter prefers low-productivity and high-iron oceans.
Coraline Leseurre, Claire Lo Monaco, Gilles Reverdin, Nicolas Metzl, Jonathan Fin, Claude Mignon, and Léa Benito
Biogeosciences, 19, 2599–2625, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2599-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2599-2022, 2022
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Decadal trends of fugacity of CO2 (fCO2), total alkalinity (AT), total carbon (CT) and pH in surface waters are investigated in different domains of the southern Indian Ocean (45°S–57°S) from ongoing and station observations regularly conducted in summer over the period 1998–2019. The fCO2 increase and pH decrease are mainly driven by anthropogenic CO2 estimated just below the summer mixed layer, as well as by a warming south of the polar front or in the fertilized waters near Kerguelen Island.
Priscilla Le Mézo, Jérôme Guiet, Kim Scherrer, Daniele Bianchi, and Eric Galbraith
Biogeosciences, 19, 2537–2555, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2537-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2537-2022, 2022
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This study quantifies the role of commercially targeted fish biomass in the cycling of three important nutrients (N, P, and Fe), relative to nutrients otherwise available in water and to nutrients required by primary producers, and the impact of fishing. We use a model of commercially targeted fish biomass constrained by fish catch and stock assessment data to assess the contributions of fish at the global scale, at the time of the global peak catch and prior to industrial fishing.
Rebecca Chmiel, Nathan Lanning, Allison Laubach, Jong-Mi Lee, Jessica Fitzsimmons, Mariko Hatta, William Jenkins, Phoebe Lam, Matthew McIlvin, Alessandro Tagliabue, and Mak Saito
Biogeosciences, 19, 2365–2395, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2365-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2365-2022, 2022
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Dissolved cobalt is present in trace amounts in seawater and is a necessary nutrient for marine microbes. On a transect from the Alaskan coast to Tahiti, we measured seawater concentrations of dissolved cobalt. Here, we describe several interesting features of the Pacific cobalt cycle including cobalt sources along the Alaskan coast and Hawaiian vents, deep-ocean particle formation, cobalt activity in low-oxygen regions, and how our samples compare to a global biogeochemical model’s predictions.
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Short summary
The carbon isotopes in algae can be used to predict food sources and environmental change. We explore how dissolved carbon is taken up by algae in the South Atlantic Ocean and how this affects their carbon isotope signature. We find that cell size controls isotope fractionation. We use our results to investigate how climate change may impact the carbon isotopes in algae. We suggest a shift to smaller algae in this region would decrease the carbon isotope ratio at the base of the food web.
The carbon isotopes in algae can be used to predict food sources and environmental change. We...
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