scholarly journals The influence of ocean acidification on nitrogen regeneration and nitrous oxide production in the North-West European shelf sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 3113-3165 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Clark ◽  
I. J. Brown ◽  
A. P. Rees ◽  
P. J. Somerfield ◽  
P. I. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Regeneration Rate ◽  
N Assimilation ◽  
European Shelf ◽  
Shelf Sea ◽  
Mechanistic Understanding

Abstract. The assimilation and regeneration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and the concentration of N2O, was investigated at stations located in the NW European shelf sea during June/July 2011. These observational measurements within the photic zone demonstrated the simultaneous regeneration and assimilation of NH4+, NO2− and NO3−. NH4+ was assimilated at 1.82–49.12 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 3.46–14.60 nmol N L−1 h−1; NO2− was assimilated at 0–2.08 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 0.01–1.85 nmol N L−1 h−1; NO3− was assimilated at 0.67–18.75 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 0.05–28.97 nmol N L−1 h−1. Observations implied that these processes were closely coupled at the regional scale and nitrogen recycling played an important role in sustaining phytoplankton growth during the summer. The [N2O], measured in water column profiles, was 10.13 ± 1.11 nmol L−1 and did not strongly diverge from atmospheric equilibrium indicating that sampled marine regions where neither a strong source nor sink of N2O to the atmosphere. Multivariate analysis of data describing water column biogeochemistry and its links to N-cycling activity failed to explain the observed variance in rates of N-regeneration and N-assimilation, possibly due to the limited number of process rate observations. In the surface waters of 5 further stations, Ocean Acidification (OA) bioassay experiments were conducted to investigate the response of NH4+ oxidising and regenerating organisms to simulated OA conditions, including the implications for [N2O]. Multivariate analysis was undertaken which considered the complete bioassay dataset of measured variables describing changes in N-regeneration rate, [N2O] and the biogeochemical composition of seawater. While anticipating biogeochemical differences between locations, we aimed to test the hypothesis that the underlying mechanism through which pelagic N-regeneration responded to simulated OA conditions was independent of location and that a mechanistic understanding of how NH4+ oxidation, NH4+ regeneration and N2O production responded to OA could be developed. Results indicated that N-regeneration process responses to OA treatments were location specific; no mechanistic understanding of how N-regeneration processes respond to OA in the surface ocean of the NW European shelf sea could be developed.

scholarly journals The influence of ocean acidification on nitrogen regeneration and nitrous oxide production in the northwest European shelf sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4985-5005 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Clark ◽  
I. J. Brown ◽  
A. P. Rees ◽  
P. J. Somerfield ◽  
P. I. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Data Set ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Regeneration Rate ◽  
N Assimilation ◽  
European Shelf ◽  
Shelf Sea ◽  
Mechanistic Understanding

Abstract. The assimilation and regeneration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and the concentration of N2O, was investigated at stations located in the NW European shelf sea during June/July 2011. These observational measurements within the photic zone demonstrated the simultaneous regeneration and assimilation of NH4+, NO2− and NO3−. NH4+ was assimilated at 1.82–49.12 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 3.46–14.60 nmol N L−1 h−1; NO2- was assimilated at 0–2.08 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 0.01–1.85 nmol N L−1 h−1; NO3− was assimilated at 0.67–18.75 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 0.05–28.97 nmol N L−1 h−1. Observations implied that these processes were closely coupled at the regional scale and that nitrogen recycling played an important role in sustaining phytoplankton growth during the summer. The [N2O], measured in water column profiles, was 10.13 ± 1.11 nmol L−1 and did not strongly diverge from atmospheric equilibrium indicating that sampled marine regions were neither a strong source nor sink of N2O to the atmosphere. Multivariate analysis of data describing water column biogeochemistry and its links to N-cycling activity failed to explain the observed variance in rates of N-regeneration and N-assimilation, possibly due to the limited number of process rate observations. In the surface waters of five further stations, ocean acidification (OA) bioassay experiments were conducted to investigate the response of NH4+ oxidising and regenerating organisms to simulated OA conditions, including the implications for [N2O]. Multivariate analysis was undertaken which considered the complete bioassay data set of measured variables describing changes in N-regeneration rate, [N2O] and the biogeochemical composition of seawater. While anticipating biogeochemical differences between locations, we aimed to test the hypothesis that the underlying mechanism through which pelagic N-regeneration responded to simulated OA conditions was independent of location. Our objective was to develop a mechanistic understanding of how NH4+ regeneration, NH4+ oxidation and N2O production responded to OA. Results indicated that N-regeneration process responses to OA treatments were location specific; no mechanistic understanding of how N-regeneration processes respond to OA in the surface ocean of the NW European shelf sea could be developed.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Phytoplankton Distribution and Water Column Characteristics in North West European Shelf Sea Waters

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. e34098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Fehling ◽  
Keith Davidson ◽  
Christopher J. S. Bolch ◽  
Tim D. Brand ◽  
Bhavani E. Narayanaswamy
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
North West ◽  
Phytoplankton Distribution ◽  
European Shelf ◽  
Shelf Sea ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
West European

scholarly journals Nitrogen and oxygen availabilities control water column nitrous oxide production during seasonal anoxia in the Chesapeake Bay

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (20) ◽  
pp. 6127-6138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qixing Ji ◽  
Claudia Frey ◽  
Xin Sun ◽  
Melanie Jackson ◽  
Yea-Shine Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Water Column ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Isotope Tracer ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Environmental Controls ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Nitrate And Nitrite

Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas and an ozone depletion agent. Estuaries that are subject to seasonal anoxia are generally regarded as N2O sources. However, insufficient understanding of the environmental controls on N2O production results in large uncertainty about the estuarine contribution to the global N2O budget. Incubation experiments with nitrogen stable isotope tracer were used to investigate the geochemical factors controlling N2O production from denitrification in the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America. The highest potential rates of water column N2O production via denitrification (7.5±1.2 nmol-N L−1 h−1) were detected during summer anoxia, during which oxidized nitrogen species (nitrate and nitrite) were absent from the water column. At the top of the anoxic layer, N2O production from denitrification was stimulated by addition of nitrate and nitrite. The relative contribution of nitrate and nitrite to N2O production was positively correlated with the ratio of nitrate to nitrite concentrations. Increased oxygen availability, up to 7 µmol L−1 oxygen, inhibited both N2O production and the reduction of nitrate to nitrite. In spring, high oxygen and low abundance of denitrifying microbes resulted in undetectable N2O production from denitrification. Thus, decreasing the nitrogen input into the Chesapeake Bay has two potential impacts on the N2O production: a lower availability of nitrogen substrates may mitigate short-term N2O emissions during summer anoxia; and, in the long-run (timescale of years), eutrophication will be alleviated and subsequent reoxygenation of the bay will further inhibit N2O production.

scholarly journals Alterations in microbial community composition with increasing <i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub>: a mesocosm study in the eastern Baltic Sea

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 3831-3849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine J. Crawfurd ◽  
Santiago Alvarez-Fernandez ◽  
Kristina D. A. Mojica ◽  
Ulf Riebesell ◽  
Corina P. D. Brussaard
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Cell Diameter ◽  
Viral Lysis ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Eastern Baltic

Abstract. Ocean acidification resulting from the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) by the ocean is considered a major threat to marine ecosystems. Here we examined the effects of ocean acidification on microbial community dynamics in the eastern Baltic Sea during the summer of 2012 when inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus were strongly depleted. Large-volume in situ mesocosms were employed to mimic present, future and far future CO2 scenarios. All six groups of phytoplankton enumerated by flow cytometry ( <  20 µm cell diameter) showed distinct trends in net growth and abundance with CO2 enrichment. The picoeukaryotic phytoplankton groups Pico-I and Pico-II displayed enhanced abundances, whilst Pico-III, Synechococcus and the nanoeukaryotic phytoplankton groups were negatively affected by elevated fugacity of CO2 (fCO2). Specifically, the numerically dominant eukaryote, Pico-I, demonstrated increases in gross growth rate with increasing fCO2 sufficient to double its abundance. The dynamics of the prokaryote community closely followed trends in total algal biomass despite differential effects of fCO2 on algal groups. Similarly, viral abundances corresponded to prokaryotic host population dynamics. Viral lysis and grazing were both important in controlling microbial abundances. Overall our results point to a shift, with increasing fCO2, towards a more regenerative system with production dominated by small picoeukaryotic phytoplankton.

scholarly journals Suspended Particular Matter drives the spatial segregation of nitrogen turnover along the hyper-turbid Ems estuary

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gesa Schulz ◽  
Tina Sanders ◽  
Justus E. E. van Beusekom ◽  
Yoana G. Voynova ◽  
Andreas Schöl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Removal ◽  
Tidal River ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Ems Estuary ◽  
Nitrogen Turnover

Abstract. Estuaries are nutrient filters and change riverine nutrient loads before they reach coastal oceans. They have been extensively changed by anthropogenic activities like draining, deepening, and dredging to meet economic and social demand, causing significant regime changes like tidal amplifications and in some cases to hyper-turbid conditions. Furthermore, increased nutrient loads, especially nitrogen, mainly by agriculture cause coastal eutrophication. Estuaries can either act as a sink or as a source of nitrate, depending on environmental and geomorphological conditions. These factors vary along an estuary, and change nitrogen turnover in the system. Here, we investigate the factors controlling nitrogen turnover in the hyper-turbid Ems estuary (Northern Germany) that has been strongly impacted by human activities. During two research cruises in August 2014 and June 2020, we measured water column properties, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, dual stable isotopes of nitrate and dissolved nitrous oxide concentration along the estuary. Overall, the Ems estuary acts as a nitrate sink in both years. However, three distinct biogeochemical zones exist along the estuary. A strong fractionation (~ 26 ‰) of nitrate stable isotopes points towards nitrate removal via water column denitrification in the hyper-turbid Tidal River, driven by anoxic conditions in deeper water layers. In the Middle Reaches of the estuary nitrification gains in importance turning this section into a net nitrate source. The Outer Reaches are dominated by mixing with nitrate uptake in 2020. We find that the overarching control on biogeochemical nitrogen cycling, zonation and nitrous oxide production in the Ems estuary is exerted by suspended particulate matter concentrations and the linked oxygen deficits.

scholarly journals Response of N2O production rate to ocean acidification in the western North Pacific

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 954-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Breider ◽  
Chisato Yoshikawa ◽  
Akiko Makabe ◽  
Sakae Toyoda ◽  
Masahide Wakita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Western North Pacific ◽  
N2o Production

scholarly journals Phytoplankton Distribution in Relation to Environmental Drivers on the North West European Shelf Sea

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e0164482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrix Siemering ◽  
Eileen Bresnan ◽  
Stuart C. Painter ◽  
Chris J. Daniels ◽  
Mark Inall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Phytoplankton Distribution ◽  
European Shelf ◽  
Shelf Sea ◽  
West European

scholarly journals Nitrogen leaching from N limited forest ecosystems: the MERLIN model applied to Gårdsjön, Sweden

1998 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. J. Kjønaas ◽  
R. F. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Model Calibration ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Atmospheric N Deposition ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Rooting Zone ◽  
N Assimilation

Abstract. Chronic deposition of inorganic nitrogen (N) compounds from the atmosphere to forested ecosystems can alter the status of a forest ecosystem from N-limited towards N-rich, which may cause, among other things, increased leaching of inorganic N below the rooting zone. To assess the time aspects of excess N leaching, a process-oriented dynamic model, MERLIN (Model of Ecosystem Retention and Loss of Inorganic Nitrogen), was tested on an N-manipulated catchment at Gårdsjön, Sweden (NITREX project). Naturally generated mature Norway spruce dominates the catchment with Scots pine in drier areas. Since 1991, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) solution at a rate of about 35 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (250 mmol m-2 yr-1) has been sprinkled weekly, to simulate increased atmospheric N deposition. MERLIN describes C and N cycles, where rates of uptake and cycling between pools are governed by the C/N ratios of plant and soil pools. The model is calibrated through a hindcast period and then used to predict future trends. A major source of uncertainty in model calibration and prediction is the paucity of good historical information on the specific site and stand history over the hindcast period 1930 to 1990. The model is constrained poorly in an N-limited system. The final calibration, therefore, made use of the results from the 6-year N addition experiment. No independent data set was available to provide a test for the model calibration. The model suggests that most N deposition goes to the labile (LOM) and refractory (ROM) organic matter pools. Significant leaching is predicted to start as the C/N ratio in LOM is reduced from the 1990 value of 35 to <28. At ambient deposition levels, the system is capable of retaining virtually all incoming N over the next 50 years. Increased decomposition rates, however, could simulate nitrate leaching losses. The rate and capacity of N assimilation as well as the change in carbon dynamics are keys to ecosystem changes. Because the knowledge of these parameters is currently inadequate, the model has a limited ability to predict N leaching from currently N-limited coniferous forest ecosystems in Scandinavia. The model is a useful tool for bookkeeping of N pools and fluxes, and it is an important contribution to further development of qualitative understanding of forest N cycles.

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