Revisiting the distribution of oceanic N2 fixation and estimating diazotrophic contribution to marine production

Weiyi Tang, Seaver Wang, Debany Fonseca-Batista, Frank Dehairs, Scott Gifford, Aridane G. Gonzalez, Morgane Gallinari, Hélène Planquette, Géraldine Sarthou and Nicolas Cassar ()
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Weiyi Tang: Duke University
Seaver Wang: Duke University
Debany Fonseca-Batista: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Frank Dehairs: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Scott Gifford: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Aridane G. Gonzalez: Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM)
Morgane Gallinari: Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM)
Hélène Planquette: Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM)
Géraldine Sarthou: Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM)
Nicolas Cassar: Duke University

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Marine N2 fixation supports a significant portion of oceanic primary production by making N2 bioavailable to planktonic communities, in the process influencing atmosphere-ocean carbon fluxes and our global climate. However, the geographical distribution and controlling factors of marine N2 fixation remain elusive largely due to sparse observations. Here we present unprecedented high-resolution underway N2 fixation estimates across over 6000 kilometers of the western North Atlantic. Unexpectedly, we find increasing N2 fixation rates from the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea to North America coastal waters, driven primarily by cyanobacterial diazotrophs. N2 fixation is best correlated to phosphorus availability and chlorophyll-a concentration. Globally, intense N2 fixation activity in the coastal oceans is validated by a meta-analysis of published observations and we estimate the annual coastal N2 fixation flux to be 16.7 Tg N. This study broadens the biogeography of N2 fixation, highlights the interplay of regulating factors, and reveals thriving diazotrophic communities in coastal waters with potential significance to the global nitrogen and carbon cycles.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08640-0

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