Coupling of oceanic carbon and nitrogen facilitates spatially resolved quantitative reconstruction of nitrate inventories

Nicolaas Glock (), Zeynep Erdem, Klaus Wallmann, Christopher J. Somes, Volker Liebetrau, Joachim Schönfeld, Stanislav Gorb and Anton Eisenhauer
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Nicolaas Glock: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Zeynep Erdem: NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University
Klaus Wallmann: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Christopher J. Somes: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Volker Liebetrau: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Joachim Schönfeld: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Stanislav Gorb: Zoological Institute: Functional Morphology and Biomechanics Kiel University
Anton Eisenhauer: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Anthropogenic impacts are perturbing the global nitrogen cycle via warming effects and pollutant sources such as chemical fertilizers and burning of fossil fuels. Understanding controls on past nitrogen inventories might improve predictions for future global biogeochemical cycling. Here we show the quantitative reconstruction of deglacial bottom water nitrate concentrations from intermediate depths of the Peruvian upwelling region, using foraminiferal pore density. Deglacial nitrate concentrations correlate strongly with downcore δ13C, consistent with modern water column observations in the intermediate Pacific, facilitating the use of δ13C records as a paleo-nitrate-proxy at intermediate depths and suggesting that the carbon and nitrogen cycles were closely coupled throughout the last deglaciation in the Peruvian upwelling region. Combining the pore density and intermediate Pacific δ13C records shows an elevated nitrate inventory of >10% during the Last Glacial Maximum relative to the Holocene, consistent with a δ13C-based and δ15N-based 3D ocean biogeochemical model and previous box modeling studies.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03647-5

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