Articles | Volume 20, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2499-2023
© Author(s) 2023. 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-20-2499-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
30 Jun 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 30 Jun 2023
| 30 Jun 2023
All about nitrite: exploring nitrite sources and sinks in the eastern tropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Department of Biology and Paleo Environment, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
Andrew R. Babbin
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Elizabeth Wallace
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Katherine L. DuRussel
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
Claudia Frey
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
Donald E. Martocello III
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Tyler Tamasi
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Sergey Oleynik
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Bess B. Ward
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Related authors
No articles found.
Timur Cinay, Dickon Young, Nazaret Narváez Jimenez, Cristina Vintimilla-Palacios, Ariel Pila Alonso, Paul B. Krummel, William Vizuete, and Andrew R. Babbin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3769, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3769, 2024
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
We present the initial 15 months of nitrous oxide measurements from the Galapagos Emissions Monitoring Station. The observed variability in atmospheric mole fractions during this period can be linked to several factors: seasonal variations in trade wind speed and direction across the eastern Pacific, differences in the transport history of air masses sampled, and spatiotemporal heterogeneity in regional marine nitrous oxide emissions from coastal upwelling systems of Peru and Chile.
Colette L. Kelly, Nicole M. Travis, Pascale Anabelle Baya, Claudia Frey, Xin Sun, Bess B. Ward, and Karen L. Casciotti
Biogeosciences, 21, 3215–3238, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3215-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3215-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, accumulates in regions of the ocean that are low in dissolved oxygen. We used a novel combination of chemical tracers to determine how nitrous oxide is produced in one of these regions, the eastern tropical North Pacific Ocean. Our experiments showed that the two most important sources of nitrous oxide under low-oxygen conditions are denitrification, an anaerobic process, and a novel “hybrid” process performed by ammonia-oxidizing archaea.
Weiyi Tang, Jeff Talbott, Timothy Jones, and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 21, 3239–3250, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3239-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3239-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are known to be hotspots of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the impact of WWTPs on the emission of the greenhouse gas N2O in downstream aquatic environments is less constrained. We found spatially and temporally variable but overall higher N2O concentrations and fluxes in waters downstream of WWTPs, pointing to the need for efficient N2O removal in addition to the treatment of nitrogen in WWTPs.
Weiyi Tang, Bess B. Ward, Michael Beman, Laura Bristow, Darren Clark, Sarah Fawcett, Claudia Frey, François Fripiat, Gerhard J. Herndl, Mhlangabezi Mdutyana, Fabien Paulot, Xuefeng Peng, Alyson E. Santoro, Takuhei Shiozaki, Eva Sintes, Charles Stock, Xin Sun, Xianhui S. Wan, Min N. Xu, and Yao Zhang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 5039–5077, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5039-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5039-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrification and nitrifiers play an important role in marine nitrogen and carbon cycles by converting ammonium to nitrite and nitrate. Nitrification could affect microbial community structure, marine productivity, and the production of nitrous oxide – a powerful greenhouse gas. We introduce the newly constructed database of nitrification and nitrifiers in the marine water column and guide future research efforts in field observations and model development of nitrification.
Mhlangabezi Mdutyana, Tanya Marshall, Xin Sun, Jessica M. Burger, Sandy J. Thomalla, Bess B. Ward, and Sarah E. Fawcett
Biogeosciences, 19, 3425–3444, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3425-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3425-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in the winter Southern Ocean show a high affinity for nitrite but require a minimum (i.e., "threshold") concentration before they increase their rates of nitrite oxidation significantly. The classic Michaelis–Menten model thus cannot be used to derive the kinetic parameters, so a modified equation was employed that also yields the threshold nitrite concentration. Dissolved iron availability may play an important role in limiting nitrite oxidation.
Kai G. Schulz, Eric P. Achterberg, Javier Arístegui, Lennart T. Bach, Isabel Baños, Tim Boxhammer, Dirk Erler, Maricarmen Igarza, Verena Kalter, Andrea Ludwig, Carolin Löscher, Jana Meyer, Judith Meyer, Fabrizio Minutolo, Elisabeth von der Esch, Bess B. Ward, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 18, 4305–4320, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4305-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4305-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters to the surface make eastern boundary upwelling systems hot spots of marine productivity. This leads to subsurface oxygen depletion and the transformation of bioavailable nitrogen into inert N2. Here we quantify nitrogen loss processes following a simulated deep water upwelling. Denitrification was the dominant process, and budget calculations suggest that a significant portion of nitrogen that could be exported to depth is already lost in the surface ocean.
Martin J. Wolf, Megan Goodell, Eric Dong, Lilian A. Dove, Cuiqi Zhang, Lesly J. Franco, Chuanyang Shen, Emma G. Rutkowski, Domenic N. Narducci, Susan Mullen, Andrew R. Babbin, and Daniel J. Cziczo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 15341–15356, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15341-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15341-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Sea spray is the largest aerosol source on Earth. These aerosol particles can impact climate by inducing ice formation in clouds. The role that ocean biology plays in determining the composition and ice nucleation abilities of sea spray aerosol is unclarified. In this study, we demonstrate that atomized seawater from highly productive ocean regions is more effective at nucleating ice than seawater from lower-productivity regions.
Amal Jayakumar and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 17, 5953–5966, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5953-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5953-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Diversity and community composition of nitrogen-fixing microbes in the three main oxygen minimum zones of the world ocean were investigated using nifH clone libraries. Representatives of three main clusters of nifH genes were detected. Sequences were most diverse in the surface waters. The most abundant OTUs were affiliated with Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. The sequences were biogeographically distinct and the dominance of a few OTUs was commonly observed in OMZs in this (and other) studies.
Samuel T. Wilson, Alia N. Al-Haj, Annie Bourbonnais, Claudia Frey, Robinson W. Fulweiler, John D. Kessler, Hannah K. Marchant, Jana Milucka, Nicholas E. Ray, Parvadha Suntharalingam, Brett F. Thornton, Robert C. Upstill-Goddard, Thomas S. Weber, Damian L. Arévalo-Martínez, Hermann W. Bange, Heather M. Benway, Daniele Bianchi, Alberto V. Borges, Bonnie X. Chang, Patrick M. Crill, Daniela A. del Valle, Laura Farías, Samantha B. Joye, Annette Kock, Jabrane Labidi, Cara C. Manning, John W. Pohlman, Gregor Rehder, Katy J. Sparrow, Philippe D. Tortell, Tina Treude, David L. Valentine, Bess B. Ward, Simon Yang, and Leonid N. Yurganov
Biogeosciences, 17, 5809–5828, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5809-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5809-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The oceans are a net source of the major greenhouse gases; however there has been little coordination of oceanic methane and nitrous oxide measurements. The scientific community has recently embarked on a series of capacity-building exercises to improve the interoperability of dissolved methane and nitrous oxide measurements. This paper derives from a workshop which discussed the challenges and opportunities for oceanic methane and nitrous oxide research in the near future.
Claudia Frey, Hermann W. Bange, Eric P. Achterberg, Amal Jayakumar, Carolin R. Löscher, Damian L. Arévalo-Martínez, Elizabeth León-Palmero, Mingshuang Sun, Xin Sun, Ruifang C. Xie, Sergey Oleynik, and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 17, 2263–2287, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2263-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2263-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The production of N2O via nitrification and denitrification associated with low-O2 waters is a major source of oceanic N2O. We investigated the regulation and dynamics of these processes with respect to O2 and organic matter inputs. The transcription of the key nitrification gene amoA rapidly responded to changes in O2 and strongly correlated with N2O production rates. N2O production by denitrification was clearly stimulated by organic carbon, implying that its supply controls N2O production.
Adeline N. Y. Cojean, Jakob Zopfi, Alan Gerster, Claudia Frey, Fabio Lepori, and Moritz F. Lehmann
Biogeosciences, 16, 4705–4718, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4705-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4705-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Our results demonstrate the importance of oxygen in regulating the fate of nitrogen (N) in the sediments of Lake Lugano south basin, Switzerland. Hence, our study suggests that, by changing oxygen concentration in bottom waters, the seasonal water column turnover may significantly regulate the partitioning between N removal and N recycling in surface sediments, and it is likely that a similar pattern can be expected in a wide range of environments.
Qixing Ji, Claudia Frey, Xin Sun, Melanie Jackson, Yea-Shine Lee, Amal Jayakumar, Jeffrey C. Cornwell, and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 15, 6127–6138, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6127-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6127-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a strong greenhouse gas and ozone-depletion agent. Intense N2O effluxes had been observed from nutrient-rich estuaries with human impacts, such as the Chesapeake Bay. We report that increased nitrogen availability and low-oxygen conditions stimulate N2O production. Thus, controlling the nutrient input to the bay will decrease nitrogen availability and alleviate eutrophication, leading to water column reoxygenation, and subsequently will mitigate N2O emission.
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Open Ocean
Ocean acidification trends and carbonate system dynamics across the North Atlantic subpolar gyre water masses during 2009–2019
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
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
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
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Cited articles
Anderson, J. J., Okubo, A., Robbins, A. S., and Richards, F. A.:
A model for nitrate distributions in oceanic oxygen minimum zones, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 29, 1113–1140, https://doi.org/10.1016/0198-0149(82)90031-0, 1982.
ASTM international:
Standard Guide for Spiking into Aqueous Samples, West Conshohocken, PA, https://compass.astm.org/document/?contentCode=ASTM7CD5810-96R067Cen-US&proxycl=https3A2F2Fsecure.astm.org&fromLogin=true (last access: 9 March 2018.), 2006.
Babbin, A. R., Keil, R. G., Devol, A. H., and Ward, B. B.:
Organic matter stoichiometry, flux, and oxygen control nitrogen loss in the ocean, Science, 344, 406–408, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1248364, 2014.
Babbin, A. R., Peters, B. D., Mordy, C. W., Widner, B., Casciotti, K. L., and Ward, B. B.:
Multiple metabolisms constrain the anaerobic nitrite budget in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 31, 258–271, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005407, 2017.
Babbin, A. R., Buchwald, C., Morel, F. M. M., Wankel, S. D., and Ward, B. B.:
Nitrite oxidation exceeds reduction and fixed nitrogen loss in anoxic Pacific waters, Mar. Chem., 224, 103814, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARCHEM.2020.103814, 2020.
Bange, H. W., Rixen, T., Johansen, A. M., Siefert, R. L., Ramesh, R., Ittekkot, V., Hoffmann, M. R., and Andreae, M. O.:
A revised nitrogen budget of the Arabian Sea, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 14, 1283–1297, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GB001228, 2000.
Beman, J. M., Leilei Shih, J., and Popp, B. N.:
Nitrite oxidation in the upper water column and oxygen minimum zone of the eastern tropical North Pacific Ocean, ISME J., 7, 2192–2205, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2013.96, 2013.
Berg, J. S., Ahmerkamp, S., Pjevac, P., Hausmann, B., Milucka, J., and Kuypers, M. M. M.:
How low can they go? Aerobic respiration by microorganisms under apparent anoxia, FEMS Microbiol. Rev., 46, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1093/FEMSRE/FUAC006, 2022.
Bianchi, D., Babbin, A. R., and Galbraith, E. D.:
Enhancement of anammox by the excretion of diel vertical migrators, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 111, 15653–15658, https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1410790111, 2014.
Bock, E., Koops, H. P., Möller, U. C., and Rudert, M.:
A new facultatively nitrite oxidizing bacterium, Nitrobacter vulgaris sp. nov., Arch. Microbiol., 153, 105–110, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00247805, 1990.
Braman, R. S. and Hendrix, S. A.:
Nanogram Nitrite and Nitrate Determination in Environmental and Biological Materials by Vanadium(III) Reduction with Chemiluminescence Detection, Anal. Chem., 61, 2715–2718, 1989.
Brandhorst, W.:
Nitrification and Denitrification in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific, ICES J. Mar. Sci., 25, 3–20, 1959.
Bristow, L. A., Dalsgaard, T., Tiano, L., Mills, D. B., Bertagnolli, A. D., Wright, J. J., Hallam, S. J., Ulloa, O., Canfield, D. E., Revsbech, N. P., and Thamdrup, B.:
Ammonium and nitrite oxidation at nanomolar oxygen concentrations in oxygen minimum zone waters, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113, 10601–10606, https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1600359113, 2016.
Bristow, L. A., Callbeck, C. M., Larsen, M., Altabet, M. A., Dekaezemacker, J., Forth, M., Gauns, M., Glud, R. N., Kuypers, M. M. M., Lavik, G., Milucka, J., Naqvi, S. W. A., Pratihary, A., Revsbech, N. P., Thamdrup, B., Treusch, A. H., and Canfield, D. E.:
N2 production rates limited by nitrite availability in the Bay of Bengal oxygen minimum zone, Nat. Geosci., 10, 24–29, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2847, 2017.
Buchwald, C. and Wankel, S. D.:
Enzyme-catalyzed isotope equilibriu.:
A hypothesis to explain apparent N cycling phenomena in low oxygen environments, Mar. Chem., 244, 104140, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARCHEM.2022.104140, 2022.
Buchwald, C., Santoro, A. E., Stanley, R. H. R., and Casciotti, K. L.:
Nitrogen cycling in the secondary nitrite maximum of the eastern tropical North Pacific off Costa Rica, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 29, 2061–2081, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GB005187, 2015.
Bulow, S. E., Rich, J. J., Naik, H. S., Pratihary, A. K., and Ward, B. B.:
Denitrification exceeds anammox as a nitrogen loss pathway in the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 57, 384–393, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.DSR.2009.10.014, 2010.
Busecke, J. J. M., Resplandy, L., Ditkovsky, S. J., and John, J. G.:
Diverging Fates of the Pacific Ocean Oxygen Minimum Zone and Its Core in a Warming World, AGU Adv., 3, e2021AV000470, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021AV000470, 2022.
Casciotti, K. L.:
Inverse kinetic isotope fractionation during bacterial nitrite oxidation, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 73, 2061–2076, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GCA.2008.12.022, 2009.
Casciotti, K. L., Buchwald, C., and McIlvin, M.:
Implications of nitrate and nitrite isotopic measurements for the mechanisms of nitrogen cycling in the Peru oxygen deficient zone, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 80, 78–93, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.DSR.2013.05.017, 2013.
Codispoti, L. A. and Packard, T. T.:
Denitrification rates in the eastern tropical South Pacific, J. Mar. Res., 38, 453–477, 1980.
Codispoti, L. A. and Richards, F. A.:
An analysis of the horizontal regime of denitrification in the eastern tropical North Pacific, Limnol. Oceanogr., 21, 379–388, https://doi.org/10.4319/LO.1976.21.3.0379, 1976.
Codispoti, L. A., Brandes, J. A., Christensen, J. P., Devol, A. H., Naqvi, S. W. A., Paerl, H. W., and Yoshinari, T.:
The oceanic fixed nitrogen and nitrous oxide budget.:
Moving targets as we enter the anthropocene?, Sci. Mar., 65, 85–105, https://doi.org/10.3989/SCIMAR.2001.65S285, 2001.
Codispoti, L. A., Yoshinari, T., and Devol, A. H.:
Suboxic respiration in the oceanic water column, i.:
Respiration in Aquatic Ecosystems, edited b.:
del Giorgio, P. A. and Williams, P. J. L., Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK
ISBN 0 19 852709 8, 225–247, 2005.
Cram, J. A., Fuchsman, C. A., Duffy, M. E., Pretty, J. L., Lekanoff, R. M., Neibauer, J. A., Leung, S. W., Huebert, K. B., Weber, T. S., Bianchi, D., Evans, N., Devol, A. H., Keil, R. G., and McDonnell, A. M. P.:
Slow Particle Remineralization, Rather Than Suppressed Disaggregation, Drives Efficient Flux Transfer Through the Eastern Tropical North Pacific Oxygen Deficient Zone, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 36, e2021GB007080, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GB007080, 2022.
Dalsgaard, T., Canfield, D. E., Peterson, J., Thamdrup, B., and Acuna-Gonzales, J.:
N production by anamox in the anoxic water column of Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, Nature, 422, 606–608, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01526, 2003.
Dalsgaard, T., Thamdrup, B., Farías, L., and Revsbech, N. P.:
Anammox and denitrification in the oxygen minimum zone of the eastern South Pacific, Limnol. Oceanogr., 57, 1331–1346, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2012.57.5.1331, 2012.
De Brabandere, L., Canfield, D. E., Dalsgaard, T., Friederich, G. E., Revsbech, N. P., Ulloa, O., and Thamdrup, B.:
Vertical partitioning of nitrogen-loss processes across the oxic-anoxic interface of an oceanic oxygen minimum zone, Environ. Microbiol., 16, 3041–3054, https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12255, 2014.
DeVries, T., Deutsch, C., Rafter, P. A., and Primeau, F.:
Marine denitrification rates determined from a global 3-D inverse model, Biogeosciences, 10, 2481–2496, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2481-2013, 2013.
Freitag, A., Rudert, M., and Bock, E.:
Growth of Nitrobacter by dissimilatoric nitrate reduction, FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 48, 105–109, https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1574-6968.1987.TB02524.X, 1987.
Frey, C., Bange, H. W., Achterberg, E. P., Jayakumar, A., Löscher, C. R., Arévalo-Martínez, D. L., León-Palmero, E., Sun, M., Sun, X., Xie, R. C., Oleynik, S., and Ward, B. B.:
Regulation of nitrous oxide production in low-oxygen waters off the coast of Peru, Biogeosciences, 17, 2263–2287, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2263-2020, 2020.
Frey, C., Sun, X., Szemberski, L., Casciotti, K. L., Garcia-Robledo,
E., Jayakumar, A., Kelly, C. L., Lehmann, M. F., and Ward, B. B.: Kinetics of nitrous oxide
production from ammonia oxidation in the Eastern
Tropical North Pacific, Limnol. Oceanogr., 68, 424–438, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12283, 2022.
Fuchsman, C. A., Devol, A. H., Saunders, J. K., McKay, C., and Rocap, G.:
Niche partitioning of the N cycling microbial community of an offshore oxygen deficient zone, Front. Microbiol., 8, 2384, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02384, 2017.
Fuchsman, C. A., Palevsky, H. I., Widner, B., Duffy, M., Carlson, M. C. G., Neibauer, J. A., Mulholland, M. R., Keil, R. G., Devol, A. H., and Rocap, G.:
Cyanobacteria and cyanophage contributions to carbon and nitrogen cycling in an oligotrophic oxygen-deficient zone, ISME J., 13, 2714–2726, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0452-6, 2019.
Füssel, J., Lam, P., Lavik, G., Jensen, M. M., Holtappels, M., Günter, M., and Kuypers, M. M. M.:
Nitrite oxidation in the Namibian oxygen minimum zone, ISME J., 6, 1200–1209, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2011.178, 2011.
Füssel, J., Lücker, S., Yilmaz, P., Nowka, B., van Kessel, M. A. H. J., Bourceau, P., Hach, P. F., Littmann, S., Berg, J., Spieck, E., Daims, H., Kuypers, M. M. M., and Lam, P.:
Adaptability as the key to success for the ubiquitous marine nitrite oxidizer Nitrococcus, Sci. Adv., 3, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700807, 2017.
Ganesh, S., Parris, D. J., Delong, E. F., and Stewart, F. J.:
Metagenomic analysis of size-fractionated picoplankton in a marine oxygen minimum zone, ISME J., 8, 187–211, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2013.144, 2013.
Ganesh, S., Bristow, L. A., Larsen, M., Sarode, N., Thamdrup, B., and Stewart, F. J.:
Size-fraction partitioning of community gene transcription and nitrogen metabolism in a marine oxygen minimum zone, ISME J., 9, 2682–2696, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2015.44, 2015.
Garcia-Robledo, E., Borisov, S., Klimant, I., and Revsbech, N. P.:
Determination of respiration rates in water with sub-micromolar oxygen concentrations, Front. Mar. Sci., 3, 244, https://doi.org/10.3389/FMARS.2016.00244, 2016.
Garcia-Robledo, E., Padilla, C. C., Aldunate, M., Stewart, F. J., Ulloa, O., Paulmier, A., Gregori, G., and Revsbech, N. P.:
Cryptic oxygen cycling in anoxic marine zones, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 114, 8319–8324, https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1619844114, 2017.
Garcia-Robledo, E., Paulmier, A., Borisov, S. M., and Revsbech, N. P.:
Sampling in low oxygen aquatic environment.:
The deviation from anoxic conditions, Limnol. Oceanogr.-Meth., 19, 733–740, https://doi.org/10.1002/LOM3.10457, 2021.
Granger, J. and Sigman, D. M.:
Removal of nitrite with sulfamic acid for nitrate N and O isotope analysis with the denitrifier method, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom, 23, 3753–3762, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.4307, 2009.
Granger, J. and Wankel, S. D.:
Isotopic overprinting of nitrification on denitrification as a ubiquitous and unifying feature of environmental nitrogen cycling, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113, E6391–E6400, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1601383113, 2016.
Hamersley, M. R., Lavik, G., Woebken, D., Rattray, J. E., Lam, P., Hopmans, E. C., Sinninghe Damsté, J. S., Krüger, S., Graco, M., Gutiérrez, D., and Kuypers, M. M. M.:
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation in the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone, Limnol. Oceanogr., 52, 923–933, https://doi.org/10.4319/LO.2007.52.3.0923, 2007.
Holmes, R. M., Aminot, A., Kérouel, R., Hooker, B. A., and Peterson, B. J.:
A simple and precise method for measuring ammonium in marine and freshwater ecosystems, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 56, 1801–1808, https://doi.org/10.1139/f99-128, 1999.
Horak, R. E. A., Ruef, W., Ward, B. B., and Devol, A. H.:
Expansion of denitrification and anoxia in the eastern tropical North Pacific from 1972 to 2012, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 5252–5260, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068871, 2016.
Ito, T., Minobe, S., Long, M. C., and Deutsch, C.:
Upper ocean O2 trend.:
1958–2015, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 4214–4223, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073613, 2017.
Jayakumar, A., Wajih, S., Naqvi, A., and Ward, B. B.:
Distribution and Relative Quantification of Key Genes Involved in Fixed Nitrogen Loss From the Arabian Sea Oxygen Minimum Zone, i.:
Indian Ocean Biogeochem. Process. Ecol. Var., edited by: Wiggert, J. D.,
Hood, R. R., Wajih, S., Naqvi, A., Brink, K. H., and
Smith, S. L., Geophys. Monogr. Ser., 185, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GM000730, 2009.
Jensen, M. M., Lam, P., Revsbech, N. P., Nagel, B., Gaye, B., Jetten, M. S. M., and Kuypers, M. M. M.:
Intensive nitrogen loss over the Omani Shelf due to anammox coupled with dissimilatory nitrite reduction to ammonium, ISME J., 5, 1660–1670, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2011.44, 2011.
Kalvelage, T., Lavik, G., Lam, P., Contreras, S., Arteaga, L., Löscher, C. R., Oschlies, A., Paulmier, A., Stramma, L., and Kuypers, M. M. M.:
Nitrogen cycling driven by organic matter export in the South Pacific oxygen minimum zone, Nat. Geosci., 6, 228–234, https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO1739, 2013.
Keeling, R. F., Körtzinger, A., and Gruber, N.:
Ocean deoxygenation in a warming world, Ann. Rev. Mar. Sci., 2, 199–229, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.marine.010908.163855, 2010.
Kemeny, P. C., Weigand, M. A., Zhang, R., Carter, B. R., Karsh, K. L., Fawcett, S. E., and Sigman, D. M.:
Enzyme-level interconversion of nitrate and nitrite in the fall mixed layer of the Antarctic Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 30, 1069–1085, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GB005350, 2016.
Kirstein, K. and Bock, E.:
Close genetic relationship between Nitrobacter hamburgensis nitrite oxidoreductase and Escherichia coli nitrate reductases, Arch. Microbiol., 160, 447–453, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00245305, 1993.
Koch, H., Lücker, S., Albertsen, M., Kitzinger, K., Herbold, C., Spieck, E., Nielsen, P. H., Wagner, M., and Daims, H.:
Expanded metabolic versatility of ubiquitous nitrite-oxidizing bacteria from the genus Nitrospira, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 112, 11371–11376, https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1506533112, 2015.
Kondo, Y. and Moffett, J. W.:
Iron redox cycling and subsurface offshore transport in the eastern tropical South Pacific oxygen minimum zone, Mar. Chem., 168, 95–103, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARCHEM.2014.11.007, 2015.
Kraft, B., Jehmlich, N., Larsen, M., Bristow, L. A., Könneke, M., Thamdrup, B., and Canfield, D. E.:
Oxygen and nitrogen production by an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon, Science, 375, 97–100, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe6733, 2022.
Kuenen, J. G.: Anammox bacteria: from discovery to application, Nat. Rev. Microbiol., 6, 320–326, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1857, 2008.
Kuypers, M. M. M., Lavik, G., Woebken, D., Schmid, M., Fuchs, B. M., Amann, R., Jørgensen, B. B., and Jetten, M. S. M.:
Massive nitrogen loss from the Benguela upwelling system through anaerobic ammonium oxidation, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102, 6478–6483, https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.0502088102, 2005.
Lam, P. and Kuypers, M. M. M.:
Microbial Nitrogen Cycling Processes in Oxygen Minimum Zones, Ann. Rev. Mar. Sci., 3, 317–345, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-120709-142814, 2011.
Lam, P., Lavik, G., Jensen, M. M., Van Vossenberg, J. De, Schmid, M., Woebken, D., Gutiérrez, D., Amann, R., Jetten, M. S. M., and Kuypers, M. M. M.:
Revising the nitrogen cycle in the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 106, 4752–4757, https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.0812444106, 2009.
Lam, P., Jensen, M. M., Kock, A., Lettmann, K. A., Plancherel, Y., Lavik, G., Bange, H. W., and Kuypers, M. M. M.:
Origin and fate of the secondary nitrite maximum in the Arabian Sea, Biogeosciences, 8, 1565–1577, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-1565-2011, 2011.
Lehner, P., Larndorfer, C., Garcia-Robledo, E., Larsen, M., Borisov, S. M., Revsbech, N. P., Glud, R. N., Canfield, D. E., and Klimant, I.:
LUMOS – A Sensitive and Reliable Optode System for Measuring Dissolved Oxygen in the Nanomolar Range, PLOS ONE, 10, e0128125, https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0128125, 2015.
Lipschultz, F., Wofsy, S. C., Ward, B. B., Codispoti, L. A., Friedrich, G., and Elkins, J. W.:
Bacterial transformations of inorganic nitrogen in the oxygen-deficient waters of the Eastern Tropical South Pacific Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 37, 1513–1541, https://doi.org/10.1016/0198-0149(90)90060-9, 1990.
Lomas, M. W. and Lipschultz, F.:
Forming the primary nitrite maximu.:
Nitrifiers or phytoplankton?, Limnol. Oceanogr., 51, 2453–2467, https://doi.org/10.4319/LO.2006.51.5.2453, 2006.
Luther, G. W.:
The role of one- and two-electron transfer reactions in forming thermodynamically unstable intermediates as barriers in multi-electron redox reactions, Aquat. Geochem., 16, 395–420, https://doi.org/10.1007/S10498-009-9082-3, 2010.
Luther, G. W. and Popp, J. I.:
Kinetics of the Abiotic Reduction of Polymeric Manganese Dioxide by Nitrit.:
An Anaerobic Nitrification Reaction, Aquat. Geochem., 8, 15–36, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020325604920, 2002.
Margolskee, A., Frenzel, H., Emerson, S., and Deutsch, C.:
Ventilation Pathways for the North Pacific Oxygen Deficient Zone, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 33, 875–890, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GB006149, 2019.
Martin, J. H., Knauer, G. A., Karl, D. M., and Broenkow, W. W.:
VERTE.:
carbon cycling in the northeast Pacific, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 34, 267–285, https://doi.org/10.1016/0198-0149(87)90086-0, 1987.
McIlvin, M. R. and Altabet, M. A.:
Chemical conversion of nitrate and nitrite to nitrous oxide for nitrogen and oxygen isotopic analysis in freshwater and seawater, Anal. Chem., 77, 5589–5595, https://doi.org/10.1021/ac050528s, 2005.
Mincer, T. J., Church, M. J., Taylor, L. T., Preston, C., Karl, D. M., and DeLong, E. F.:
Quantitative distribution of presumptive archaeal and bacterial nitrifiers in Monterey Bay and the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Environ. Microbiol., 9, 1162–1175, https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1462-2920.2007.01239.X, 2007.
Moriyasu, R., Evans, N., Bolster, K. M., Hardisty, D. S., and Moffett, J. W.:
The Distribution and Redox Speciation of Iodine in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 34, e2019GB006302, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GB006302, 2020.
Naqvi, S. W. A.:
Some aspects of the oxygen-deficient conditions and denitrification in the Arabian Sea, J. Mar. Res., 45, 1049–1072, 1987.
Nozaki, Y.:
A fresh look at element distribution in the North Pacific Ocean, Eos T. Am. Geophys. Un., 78, 221–221, https://doi.org/10.1029/97EO00148, 1997.
Oshiki, M., Satoh, H., and Okabe, S.:
Ecology and physiology of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria, Environ. Microbiol., 18, 2784–2796, https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13134, 2016.
Padilla, C. C., Bristow, L. A., Sarode, N., Garcia-Robledo, E., Gómez Ramírez, E., Benson, C. R., Bourbonnais, A., Altabet, M. A., Girguis, P. R., Thamdrup, B., and Stewart, F. J.:
NC10 bacteria in marine oxygen minimum zones, ISME J., 10, 2067–2071, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2015.262, 2016.
Peng, X., Fuchsman, C. A., Jayakumar, A., Oleynik, S., Martens-Habbena, W., Devol, A. H., and Ward, B. B.:
Ammonia and nitrite oxidation in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 29, 2034–2049, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GB005278, 2015.
Peng, X., Fuchsman, C. A., Jayakumar, A., Warner, M. J., Devol, A. H., and Ward, B. B.:
Revisiting nitrification in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific: A focus on controls,
J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 121, 1667–1684, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JC011455, 2016.
Penn, J., Weber, T., and Deutsch, C.:
Microbial functional diversity alters the structure and sensitivity of oxygen deficient zones, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 9773–9780, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070438, 2016.
Peters, B. D., Babbin, A. R., Lettmann, K. A., Mordy, C. W., Ulloa, O., Ward, B. B., and Casciotti, K. L.:
Vertical modeling of the nitrogen cycle in the eastern tropical South Pacific oxygen deficient zone using high-resolution concentration and isotope measurements, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 30, 1661–1681, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005415, 2016.
R:
A language and environment for statistical computing,
https://www.r-project.org/, last access: 30 June 2022.
Starkenburg, S. R., Larimer, F. W., Stein, L. Y., Klotz, M. G., Chain, P. S. G., Sayavedra-Soto, L. A., Poret-Peterson, A. T., Gentry, M. E., Arp, D. J., Ward, B., and Bottomley, P. J.:
Complete genome sequence of Nitrobacter hamburgensis X14 and comparative genomic analysis of species within the genus Nitrobacter, Appl. Environ. Microb., 74, 2852–2863, https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02311-07, 2008.
Stramma, L., Johnson, G. C., Sprintall, J., and Mohrholz, V.:
Expanding oxygen-minimum zones in the tropical oceans, Science (80-), 320, 655–658, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1153847, 2008.
Strickland, J. D. H. and Parsons, T. R.:
A Practical Handbook of Seawater Analysis, Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Ottawa, 1972.
Strohm, T. O., Griffin, B., Zumft, W. G., and Schink, B.:
Growth yields in bacterial denitrification and nitrate ammonification, Appl. Environ. Microb., 73, 1420–1424, https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02508-06, 2007.
Strous, M., Heijnen, J. J., Kuenen, J. G., and Jetten, M. S. M.:
The sequencing batch reactor as a powerful tool for the study of slowly growing anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing microorganisms, Appl. Microbiol. Biot., 50, 589–596, https://doi.org/10.1007/S002530051340, 1998.
Sun, X. and Ward, B. B.:
Novel metagenome-assembled genomes involved in the nitrogen cycle from a Pacific oxygen minimum zone, ISME Commun., 1, 1–5, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43705-021-00030-2, 2021.
Sun, X., Ji, Q., Jayakumar, A., and Ward, B. B.:
Dependence of nitrite oxidation on nitrite and oxygen in low-oxygen seawater, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 7883–7891, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074355, 2017.
Sun, X., Kop, L. F. M., Lau, M. C. Y., Frank, J., Jayakumar, A., Lücker, S., and Ward, B. B.:
Uncultured Nitrospina-like species are major nitrite oxidizing bacteria in oxygen minimum zones, ISME J., 13, 2391–2402, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0443-7, 2019.
Sun, X., Frey, C., Garcia-Robledo, E., Jayakumar, A., and Ward, B. B.:
Microbial niche differentiation explains nitrite oxidation in marine oxygen minimum zones, ISME J., 15, 1317–1329, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-020-00852-3, 2021.
Sun, X., Frey, C., and Ward, B. B.:
Nitrite Oxidation Across the Full Oxygen Spectrum in the Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 37, e2022GB007548, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GB007548, 2023.
Suter, E. A., Scranton, M. I., Chow, S., Stinton, D., Medina Faull, L., and Taylor, G. T.:
Niskin bottle sample collection aliases microbial community composition and biogeochemical interpretation, Limnol. Oceanogr., 62, 606–617, https://doi.org/10.1002/LNO.10447, 2017.
Tang, W., Tracey, J. C., Carroll, J., Wallace, E., Lee, J. A., Nathan, L., Sun, X., Jayakumar, A., and Ward, B. B.:
Nitrous oxide production in the Chesapeake Bay, Limnol. Oceanogr., 67, 2101–2116, https://doi.org/10.1002/LNO.12191, 2022.
Taylor, B. W., Keep, C. F., Hall, R. O., Koch, B. J., Tronstad, L. M., Flecker, A. S., and Ulseth, A. J.:
Improving the fluorometric ammonium metho.:
matrix effects, background fluorescence, and standard additions, J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc., 26, 167–177, https://doi.org/10.1899/0887-3593(2007)26[167:ITFAMM]2.0.CO;2, 2007.
Thamdrup, B. and Dalsgaard, T.:
The fate of ammonium in anoxic manganese oxide-rich marine sediment, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 64, 4157–4164, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(00)00496-8, 2000.
Thamdrup, B. and Dalsgaard, T.:
Production of N2 through anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled to nitrate reduction in marine sediments, Appl. Environ. Microb., 68, 1312–1318, https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.68.3.1312-1318.2002, 2002.
Thamdrup, B., Dalsgaard, T., Jensen, M. M., Ulloa, O., Farías, L., and Escribano, R.:
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation in the oxygen-deficient waters off northern Chile, Limnol. Oceanogr., 51, 2145–2156, https://doi.org/10.4319/LO.2006.51.5.2145, 2006.
Tiano, L., Garcia-Robledo, E., Dalsgaard, T., Devol, A. H., Ward, B. B., Ulloa, O., Canfield, D. E., and Peter Revsbech, N.:
Oxygen distribution and aerobic respiration in the north and south eastern tropical Pacific oxygen minimum zones, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 94, 173–183, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.DSR.2014.10.001, 2014.
Tsementzi, D., Wu, J., Deutsch, S., Nath, S., Rodriguez-R, L. M., Burns, A. S., Ranjan, P., Sarode, N., Malmstrom, R. R., Padilla, C. C., Stone, B. K., Bristow, L. A., Larsen, M., Glass, J. B., Thamdrup, B., Woyke, T., Konstantinidis, K. T., and Stewart, F. J.:
SAR11 bacteria linked to ocean anoxia and nitrogen loss, Nature, 536, 179–183, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19068, 2016.
Ulloa, O., Canfield, D. E., DeLong, E. F., Letelier, R. M., and Stewart, F. J.:
Microbial oceanography of anoxic oxygen minimum zones, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 109, 15996–16003, https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1205009109, 2012.
Van de Leemput, I. A., Veraart, A. J., Dakos, V., De Klein, J. J. M., Strous, M., and Scheffer, M.:
Predicting microbial nitrogen pathways from basic principles, Environ. Microbiol., 13, 1477–1487, https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1462-2920.2011.02450.X, 2011.
Vedamati, J., Chan, C., and Moffett, J. W.:
Distribution of dissolved manganese in the Peruvian Upwelling and Oxygen Minimum Zone, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 156, 222–240, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GCA.2014.10.026, 2015.
Wanninkhof, R.:
Relationship between wind speed and gas exchange over the ocean, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 97, 7373–7382, https://doi.org/10.1029/92JC00188, 1992.
Ward, B. B., Glover, H. E., and Lipschultz, F.:
Chemoautotrophic activity and nitrification in the oxygen minimum zone off Peru, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 36, 1031–1051, https://doi.org/10.1016/0198-0149(89)90076-9, 1989.
Ward, B. B., Tuit, C. B., Jayakumar, A., Rich, J. J., Moffett, J., and Naqvi, S. W. A.:
Organic carbon, and not copper, controls denitrification in oxygen minimum zones of the ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 55, 1672–1683, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.DSR.2008.07.005, 2008.
Ward, B. B., Devol, A. H., Rich, J. J., Chang, B. X., Bulow, S. E., Naik, H., Pratihary, A., and Jayakumar, A.:
Denitrification as the dominant nitrogen loss process in the Arabian Sea, Nature,, 461, 78–81, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08276, 2009.
Weigand, M. A., Foriel, J., Barnett, B., Oleynik, S., and Sigman, D. M.:
Updates to instrumentation and protocols for isotopic analysis of nitrate by the denitrifier method, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 30, 1365–1383, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7570, 2016.
Wunderlich, A., Meckenstock, R. U., and Einsiedl, F.:
A mixture of nitrite-oxidizing and denitrifying microorganisms affects the δ18O of dissolved nitrate during anaerobic microbial denitrification depending on the δ18O of ambient water, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 119, 31–45, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GCA.2013.05.028, 2013.
Co-editor-in-chief
Nitrite is a nexus in nitrogen turnover, especially in oxygen minimum zones. This study works out new details of its specific role and adds new evidence for anaerobic nitrite oxidation. Furthermore, it shows that nitrogen recycling (nitrate reduction and nitrite oxidation) is quantitatively more important than loss processes.
Nitrite is a nexus in nitrogen turnover, especially in oxygen minimum zones. This study works...
Short summary
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.
Nitrogen (N) is essential for life; thus, its availability plays a key role in determining marine...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint