scholarly journals Magnitude of nitrate turbulent diffusion in contrasting marine environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Mouriño-Carballido ◽  
José Luis Otero Ferrer ◽  
Bieito Fernández Castro ◽  
Emilio Marañón ◽  
Mariña Blazquez Maseda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Turbulent Diffusion ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
Diffusive Flux ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Ocean Turbulence ◽  
Climatological Data ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Global Estimates

AbstractDifficulties to quantify ocean turbulence have limited our knowledge about the magnitude and variability of nitrate turbulent diffusion, which constitutes one of the main processes responsible for the supply of nitrogen to phytoplankton inhabiting the euphotic zone. We use an extensive dataset of microturbulence observations collected in contrasting oceanic regions, to build a model for nitrate diffusion into the euphotic zone, and obtain the first global map for the distribution of this process. A model including two predictors (surface temperature and nitrate vertical gradient) explained 50% of the variance in the nitrate diffusive flux. This model was applied to climatological data to predict nitrate diffusion in oligotrophic mid and low latitude regions. Mean nitrate diffusion (~ 20 Tmol N y−1) was comparable to nitrate entrainment due to seasonal mixed-layer deepening between 40°N–40ºS, and to the sum of global estimates of nitrogen fixation, fluvial fluxes and atmospheric deposition. These results indicate that nitrate diffusion represents one of the major sources of new nitrogen into the surface ocean in these regions.

scholarly journals Metabolite composition of sinking particles reflects a changing microbial community and differential metabolite degradation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winifred M. Johnson ◽  
Krista Longnecker ◽  
Melissa C. Kido Soule ◽  
William A. Arnold ◽  
Maya P. Bhatia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Suspended Particles ◽  
Equatorial Atlantic ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Sinking Particles ◽  
Compositional Changes ◽  
Amazon River Plume ◽  
Small Biomolecules

AbstractMarine sinking particles transport carbon from the surface and bury it in deep sea sediments where it can be sequestered on geologic time scales. The combination of the surface ocean food web that produces these particles and the particle-associated microbial community that degrades these particles, creates a complex set of variables that control organic matter cycling. We use targeted metabolomics to characterize a suite of small biomolecules, or metabolites, in sinking particles and compare their metabolite composition to that of the suspended particles in the euphotic zone from which they are likely derived. These samples were collected in the South Atlantic subtropical gyre, as well as in the equatorial Atlantic region and the Amazon River plume. The composition of targeted metabolites in the sinking particles was relatively similar throughout the transect, despite the distinct oceanic regions in which they were generated. Metabolites possibly derived from the degradation of nucleic acids and lipids, such as xanthine and glycine betaine, were an increased mole fraction of the targeted metabolites in the sinking particles relative to surface suspended particles, while algal-derived metabolites like the osmolyte dimethylsulfoniopropionate were a smaller fraction of the observed metabolites on the sinking particles. These compositional changes are shaped both by the removal of metabolites associated with detritus delivered from the surface ocean and by production of metabolites by the sinking particle-associated microbial communities. Further, they provide a basis for examining the types and quantities of metabolites that may be delivered to the deep sea by sinking particles.

scholarly journals Mesozooplankton biomass and temperature-enhanced grazing along a 110°E transect in the eastern Indian Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 649 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
MR Landry ◽  
RR Hood ◽  
CH Davies
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Coupling Efficiency ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Tropical Waters ◽  
Mesozooplankton Biomass ◽  
Lower Productivity

Low-latitude waters of the Indian Ocean are warming faster than other major oceans. Most models predict a zooplankton decline due to lower productivity, enhanced metabolism and phytoplankton size shifts that reduce trophic transfer efficiency. In May-June 2019, we investigated mesozooplankton biomass and grazing along the historic 110°E transect line from the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) of the 1960s. Twenty sampling stations from 39.5 to 11.5°S spanned latitudinal variability from temperate to tropical waters and a pronounced 14°C gradient in mean euphotic zone temperature. Although mesozooplankton size structure was similar along the transect, with smaller (<2 mm) size classes dominant, total biomass increased 3-fold (400 to 1500 mg dry weight m-2) from high to low latitude. More dramatically, gut-fluorescence estimates of grazing (total ingestion or % euphotic zone chl a consumed d-1) were 14- and 20-fold higher, respectively, in the low-latitude warmer waters. Biomass-normalized grazing rates varied more than 6-fold over the transect, showing a strong temperature relationship (r2 = 0.85) that exceeded the temperature effects on gut turnover and metabolic rates. Herbivory contributed more to satisfying zooplankton energetic requirements in low-chl a tropical waters than chl a-rich waters at higher latitude. Our unexpected results are inconsistent with trophic amplification of warming effects on phytoplankton to zooplankton, but might be explained by enhanced coupling efficiency via mixotrophy. Additional implications for selective herbivory and top-down grazing control underscore the need for rigorous field studies to understand relationships and validate assumptions about climate change effects on the food webs of tropical oceans.

scholarly journals Seasonal dynamics of nitrogen fixation and the diazotroph community in the temperate coastal region of the northwestern North Pacific

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 865-889
Author(s):  
T. Shiozaki ◽  
T. Nagata ◽  
M. Ijichi ◽  
K. Furuya
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Gene Diversity ◽  
Nifh Gene ◽  
Anaerobic Bacteria ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Subsurface Layers ◽  
Nifh Genes

Abstract. Nitrogen fixation in temperate oceans is a potentially important, but poorly understood process that may influence the marine nitrogen budget. This study determined seasonal variations in nitrogen fixation and nifH gene diversity within the euphotic zone in the temperate coastal region of the northwestern North Pacific. Nitrogen fixation as high as 13.6 nmolN L−1 d−1 was measured from early summer to fall when the surface temperature exceeded 14.2 °C and the surface nitrate concentration was low (≤ 0.30 μM), although we also detected nitrogen fixation in subsurface layers (42–62 m) where nitrate concentrations were high (> 1 μM). During periods with high nitrogen fixation, the nifH sequences of UCYN-A were recovered, suggesting that these groups played a key role in nitrogen fixation. The nifH genes were also recovered in spring and winter when nitrogen fixation was undetectable. These genes consisted of many sequences affiliated with Cluster III diazotrophs (putative anaerobic bacteria), which hitherto have rarely been reported to be abundant in surface diazotroph communities in marine environments.

Protist grazing contributes to microbial food web at the upper boundary of the twilight zone in the subarctic Pacific

2020 ◽  
Vol 636 ◽  
pp. 235-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
HM McNair ◽  
S Menden-Deuer
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Twilight Zone ◽  
Particulate Carbon ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Tropical Environments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Upper Boundary

Grazing by herbivorous protists (microzooplankton) is a major loss pathway of primary production in the surface ocean, yet its impact below the well-lit surface ocean is largely unknown. The upper boundary of the twilight zone is critically important to understanding carbon cycling and is often the depth of highest attenuation of particulate carbon flux. Available measurements of primary production and grazing below the well-lit surface ocean suggest that the upper boundary of the twilight zone may harbor active but poorly constrained food web processes. Previous grazing rates from the base of the euphotic zone were measured in subtropical and tropical environments. Thus, the impact of protist grazing on prey populations remains unknown in colder conditions at higher latitudes. To advance understanding and provide mechanistic insight into processes occurring at the base of the euphotic zone (0.4-0.7% PAR), we measured predation rates on both phytoplankton and heterotrophic prokaryotes in the North Pacific, using a novel method that amplified the grazing signal by concentrating the predator community, enabling detection of grazing rates far below previous limits. Protists consumed 0.6% of the phytoplankton population daily and 12% of daily heterotrophic prokaryote growth. These conservative rate measurements document marginal removal of phytoplankton even in these colder regimes, implying flows of energy from single-cell primary producers and prokaryotes to single-cell protists at rates far below previous detection limits in this twilight region of a low-productivity system.

scholarly journals What drives the latitudinal gradient in open-ocean surface dissolved inorganic carbon concentration?

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (13) ◽  
pp. 2661-2681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingxu Wu ◽  
Mathis P. Hain ◽  
Matthew P. Humphreys ◽  
Sue Hartman ◽  
Toby Tyrrell
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Total Alkalinity ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Surface Ocean

Abstract. Previous work has not led to a clear understanding of the causes of spatial pattern in global surface ocean dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), which generally increases polewards. Here, we revisit this question by investigating the drivers of observed latitudinal gradients in surface salinity-normalized DIC (nDIC) using the Global Ocean Data Analysis Project version 2 (GLODAPv2) database. We used the database to test three different hypotheses for the driver producing the observed increase in surface nDIC from low to high latitudes. These are (1) sea surface temperature, through its effect on the CO2 system equilibrium constants, (2) salinity-related total alkalinity (TA), and (3) high-latitude upwelling of DIC- and TA-rich deep waters. We find that temperature and upwelling are the two major drivers. TA effects generally oppose the observed gradient, except where higher values are introduced in upwelled waters. Temperature-driven effects explain the majority of the surface nDIC latitudinal gradient (182 of the 223 µmol kg−1 increase from the tropics to the high-latitude Southern Ocean). Upwelling, which has not previously been considered as a major driver, additionally drives a substantial latitudinal gradient. Its immediate impact, prior to any induced air–sea CO2 exchange, is to raise Southern Ocean nDIC by 220 µmol kg−1 above the average low-latitude value. However, this immediate effect is transitory. The long-term impact of upwelling (brought about by increasing TA), which would persist even if gas exchange were to return the surface ocean to the same CO2 as without upwelling, is to increase nDIC by 74 µmol kg−1 above the low-latitude average.

scholarly journals Taxon-specific phytoplankton growth, nutrient utilization, and light limitation in the oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Yingling ◽  
Thomas B. Kelly ◽  
Taylor A. Shropshire ◽  
Michael R. Landry ◽  
Karen E. Selph ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Nitrate Uptake ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Nutrient Utilization ◽  
Ammonium Uptake ◽  
Light Limitation ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
Diel Variability

ABSTRACTThe highly stratified, oligotrophic regions of the oceans are predominantly nitrogen limited in the surface ocean and light limited at the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). Hence, determining light and nitrogen co-limitation patterns for diverse phytoplankton taxa is crucial to understanding marine primary production throughout the euphotic zone. During two cruises in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico, we measured primary productivity (H13CO3−), nitrate uptake (15NO3−), and ammonium uptake (15NH4+) throughout the water column. Primary productivity declined with depth from the mixed-layer to the DCM, averaging 27.1 mmol C m−2 d−1. The fraction of growth supported by NO3− was consistently low, with upper euphotic zone values ranging from 0.01 to 0.14 and lower euphotic zone values ranging from 0.03 to 0.44. Nitrate uptake showed strong diel patterns (maximum during the day), while ammonium uptake exhibited no diel variability. To parameterize taxon-specific phytoplankton nutrient and light utilization, we used a data assimilation approach (Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo) including primary productivity, nutrient uptake, and taxon-specific growth rate measurements. Parameters derived from this analysis define distinct niches for five phytoplankton taxa (Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, diatoms, dinoflagellates, and prymnesiophytes) and may be useful for constraining biogeochemical models of oligotrophic open-ocean systems.

scholarly journals Technical note: Sampling and processing of mesocosm sediment trap material for quantitative biogeochemical analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2849-2858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Boxhammer ◽  
Lennart T. Bach ◽  
Jan Czerny ◽  
Ulf Riebesell
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Trap ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Sediment Traps ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Technical Note ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Freeze Dried ◽  
Marine Realm ◽  
Silicon Tube ◽  
Sample Recovery

Abstract. Sediment traps are the most common tool to investigate vertical particle flux in the marine realm. However, the spatial and temporal decoupling between particle formation in the surface ocean and particle collection in sediment traps at depth often handicaps reconciliation of production and sedimentation even within the euphotic zone. Pelagic mesocosms are restricted to the surface ocean, but have the advantage of being closed systems and are therefore ideally suited to studying how processes in natural plankton communities influence particle formation and settling in the ocean's surface. We therefore developed a protocol for efficient sample recovery and processing of quantitatively collected pelagic mesocosm sediment trap samples for biogeochemical analysis. Sedimented material was recovered by pumping it under gentle vacuum through a silicon tube to the sea surface. The particulate matter of these samples was subsequently separated from bulk seawater by passive settling, centrifugation or flocculation with ferric chloride, and we discuss the advantages and efficiencies of each approach. After concentration, samples were freeze-dried and ground with an easy to adapt procedure using standard lab equipment. Grain size of the finely ground samples ranged from fine to coarse silt (2–63 µm), which guarantees homogeneity for representative subsampling, a widespread problem in sediment trap research. Subsamples of the ground material were perfectly suitable for a variety of biogeochemical measurements, and even at very low particle fluxes we were able to get a detailed insight into various parameters characterizing the sinking particles. The methods and recommendations described here are a key improvement for sediment trap applications in mesocosms, as they facilitate the processing of large amounts of samples and allow for high-quality biogeochemical flux data.

scholarly journals The shape of the oceanic nitracline

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3273-3287 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Omand ◽  
A. Mahadevan
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Surface Mixed Layer ◽  
World Ocean Atlas ◽  
Series Study

Abstract. In most regions of the ocean, nitrate is depleted near the surface by phytoplankton consumption and increases with depth, exhibiting a strong vertical gradient in the pycnocline (here referred to as the nitracline). The vertical supply of nutrients to the surface euphotic zone is influenced by the vertical gradient (slope) of the nitracline and by the vertical separation (depth) of the nitracline from the sunlit surface layer. Hence it is important to understand the shape (slope and curvature) and depth of the oceanic nitracline. By using density coordinates to analyze nitrate profiles from autonomous Autonomous Profiling EXplorer floats with In-Situ Ultraviolet Spectrophotometers (APEX-ISUS) and ship-based platforms (World Ocean Atlas – WOA09; Hawaii Ocean Time-series – HOT; Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study – BATS; and California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations – CalCOFI), we are able to eliminate much of the spatial and temporal variability in the profiles and derive robust relationships between nitrate and density. This allows us to characterize the depth, slope and curvature of the nitracline in different regions of the world's oceans. The analysis reveals distinguishing patterns in the nitracline between subtropical gyres, upwelling regions and subpolar gyres. We propose a one-dimensional, mechanistic model that relates the shape of the nitracline to the relative depths of the surface mixed layer and euphotic layer. Though heuristic, the model accounts for some of the seasonal patterns and regional differences in the nitrate–density relationships seen in the data.

scholarly journals Quantifying Oxygen Management and Temperature and Light Dependencies of Nitrogen Fixation by Crocosphaera watsonii

mSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keisuke Inomura ◽  
Curtis Deutsch ◽  
Samuel T. Wilson ◽  
Takako Masuda ◽  
Evelyn Lawrenz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
N Budget ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Chemical Factors ◽  
Physiological Explanation

Crocosphaera is one of the major N2-fixing microorganisms in the open ocean. On a global scale, the process of N2 fixation is important in balancing the N budget, but the factors governing the rate of N2 fixation remain poorly resolved. Here, we combine a mechanistic model and both previous and present laboratory studies of Crocosphaera to quantify how chemical factors such as C, N, Fe, and O2 and physical factors such as temperature and light affect N2 fixation. Our study shows that Crocosphaera combines multiple mechanisms to reduce intracellular O2 to protect the O2-sensitive N2-fixing enzyme. Our model, however, indicates that these protections are insufficient at low temperature due to reduced respiration and the rate of N2 fixation becomes severely limited. This provides a physiological explanation for why the geographic distribution of Crocosphaera is confined to the warm low-latitude ocean.

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