Articles | Volume 19, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-715-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-19-715-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
07 Feb 2022
Research article |
| 07 Feb 2022
| 07 Feb 2022
Biogeochemical controls on ammonium accumulation in the surface layer of the Southern Ocean
Shantelle Smith
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3,
Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
Katye E. Altieri
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3,
Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
Mhlangabezi Mdutyana
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3,
Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observatory (SOCCO), CSIR,
Rosebank, Cape Town, South Africa
David R. Walker
Department of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Cape Peninsula
University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
Ruan G. Parrott
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3,
Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
Sedick Gallie
Department of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Cape Peninsula
University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
Kurt A. M. Spence
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3,
Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
Jessica M. Burger
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3,
Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
Sarah E. Fawcett
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3,
Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
Marine and Antarctic Research centre for Innovation and
Sustainability (MARIS), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Cited
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Finding the needle in a haystack: Evaluation of ecotoxicological effects along the continental shelf break during the Brazilian mysterious oil spill M. Müller et al. 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124422
- The summer pattern of phytoplankton pigment assemblages in response to water masses in the Yellow Sea T. Lü et al. 10.1007/s00343-025-4220-3
- Net Community Production in the Argentine Basin Estimated From Nitrate Drawdown Using Biogeochemical Argo Floats M. Alkire & S. Riser 10.1029/2023JC019858
- Biogeochemical and physical controls on ammonium accumulation on the Chukchi shelf, western Arctic Ocean Y. Zhuang et al. 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106084
- Impact of particle flux on the vertical distribution and diversity of size-fractionated prokaryotic communities in two East Antarctic polynyas V. Puigcorbé et al. 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1078469
- Controls on nitrite oxidation in the upper Southern Ocean: insights from winter kinetics experiments in the Indian sector M. Mdutyana et al. 10.5194/bg-19-3425-2022
- Nanoplankton: The dominant vector for carbon export across the Atlantic Southern Ocean in spring R. Flynn et al. 10.1126/sciadv.adi3059
- Wintertime productivity and carbon export potential across the Agulhas Current system K. Sinyanya et al. 10.1016/j.dsr.2024.104405
- A Circum‐Antarctic Plankton Isoscape: Carbon Export Potential Across the Summertime Southern Ocean L. Stirnimann et al. 10.1029/2023GB007808
- Seasonal and ocean basin-scale assessment of amino acid δ15N trends in a Southern Ocean marine predator N. Friscourt et al. 10.3354/meps14699
- The Influence of Agulhas Leakage on Primary Production and Nitrogen Cycling in the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean S. Wallschuss et al. 10.1029/2022JC018971
- Database of nitrification and nitrifiers in the global ocean W. Tang et al. 10.5194/essd-15-5039-2023
- Seasonal trends in Subantarctic plankton δ13C and δ15N are driven by phytoplankton dynamics and nutrient preference L. Stirnimann et al. 10.1002/lno.12685
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Finding the needle in a haystack: Evaluation of ecotoxicological effects along the continental shelf break during the Brazilian mysterious oil spill M. Müller et al. 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124422
- The summer pattern of phytoplankton pigment assemblages in response to water masses in the Yellow Sea T. Lü et al. 10.1007/s00343-025-4220-3
- Net Community Production in the Argentine Basin Estimated From Nitrate Drawdown Using Biogeochemical Argo Floats M. Alkire & S. Riser 10.1029/2023JC019858
- Biogeochemical and physical controls on ammonium accumulation on the Chukchi shelf, western Arctic Ocean Y. Zhuang et al. 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106084
- Impact of particle flux on the vertical distribution and diversity of size-fractionated prokaryotic communities in two East Antarctic polynyas V. Puigcorbé et al. 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1078469
- Controls on nitrite oxidation in the upper Southern Ocean: insights from winter kinetics experiments in the Indian sector M. Mdutyana et al. 10.5194/bg-19-3425-2022
- Nanoplankton: The dominant vector for carbon export across the Atlantic Southern Ocean in spring R. Flynn et al. 10.1126/sciadv.adi3059
- Wintertime productivity and carbon export potential across the Agulhas Current system K. Sinyanya et al. 10.1016/j.dsr.2024.104405
- A Circum‐Antarctic Plankton Isoscape: Carbon Export Potential Across the Summertime Southern Ocean L. Stirnimann et al. 10.1029/2023GB007808
- Seasonal and ocean basin-scale assessment of amino acid δ15N trends in a Southern Ocean marine predator N. Friscourt et al. 10.3354/meps14699
- The Influence of Agulhas Leakage on Primary Production and Nitrogen Cycling in the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean S. Wallschuss et al. 10.1029/2022JC018971
- Database of nitrification and nitrifiers in the global ocean W. Tang et al. 10.5194/essd-15-5039-2023
- Seasonal trends in Subantarctic plankton δ13C and δ15N are driven by phytoplankton dynamics and nutrient preference L. Stirnimann et al. 10.1002/lno.12685
Latest update: 22 Jul 2025
Short summary
Ammonium is a crucial yet poorly understood component of the Southern Ocean nitrogen cycle. We attribute our finding of consistently high ammonium concentrations in the winter mixed layer to limited ammonium consumption and sustained ammonium production, conditions under which the Southern Ocean becomes a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. From similar data collected over an annual cycle, we propose a seasonal cycle for ammonium in shallow polar waters – a first for the Southern Ocean.
Ammonium is a crucial yet poorly understood component of the Southern Ocean nitrogen cycle. We...
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