Sinking organic matter spreads the nitrogen isotope signal of pelagic denitrification in the North Pacific
- Culture studies of denitrifying bacteria predict that denitrification will generate equivalent gradients in the delta N-15 and delta O-18 of deep ocean nitrate. A depth profile of nitrate isotopes from the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA shows less of an increase in delta O-18 than in delta N-15 as one ascends from abyssal waters into the denitrification-impacted mid-depth waters. A box model of the ocean nitrate N and O isotopes indicates that this is the effect of the low latitude nitrate assimilation/regeneration cycle: organic N sinking out of the surface spreads the high-delta N-15 signal of pelagic denitrification into waters well below and beyond the suboxic zone, whereas the nitrate delta O-18 signal of denitrification can only be transmitted by circulation in the interior.
| Verfasserangaben: | Daniel M. Sigman, Peter J. DiFiore, Mathis P. Hain, Curtis Deutsch, David M. Karl |
|---|---|
| URL: | http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2008gl035784 |
| ISSN: | 0094-8276 |
| Publikationstyp: | Wissenschaftlicher Artikel |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2009 |
| Erscheinungsjahr: | 2009 |
| Datum der Freischaltung: | 25.03.2017 |
| Quelle: | Geophysical research letters. - ISSN 0094-8276. - 36 (2009), Art. L08605 |
| Organisationseinheiten: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Geowissenschaften |
| Peer Review: | Referiert |
| Name der Einrichtung zum Zeitpunkt der Publikation: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften |
