Organic nutrients as sources of N and P to the upper layers of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre along 24.5° N

Abstract

There is a longstanding discussion on how the macronutrient requirement of the export production in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre is sustained. In this study we asses the role of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and phosphorous (DOP) as sources of new nutrients into the North Atlantic subtropical gyre at 24.5° N. We define, based on measurements of DON, DOP, phytoplankton community structure, stable nitrogen isotopic signals, surface mixed layer depth and ocean color as viewed from space, four regions characterized by different nutrient supply regimes. Within these regions, two distinct loci of N₂ fixation occur associated with different plankton assemblages and separated by a region in which N₂ fixation occurs at levels insufficient to leave its distinctive isotopic fingerprint on the isotopic composition of PON. Here, the phosphorus supply pathways to the mixed plankton assemblage appear to be different. In the wester oligotrophic gyre (70–46° W), the lateral advection of DOP supplies the missing P that, together with, shallow mixed layer, almost permanent stratification and high water temperatures, stimulate diazotrophic growth, which augment TON local accumulation. In the eastern oligotophic gyre (46–30° W), DOP cannot support the P demand as it is exhausted on its way from productive areas. This is inferred from DOP turnover rates, estimated form enzymatic clevage rates, which are shorter (11 ± 8 months) than transit timescales, estimated from a 3-D circulation model (>4 yr). A stronger seasonal cycle in chlorophyll and mixed layer depth, favour some nutrient injections from below. Here additional N sources come from the advected DON which has a turnover-time of 6.7 ± 3 yr, instead fast remineralization and little DOP export are needed to maintain the P requirements. We conclude from these observations that organic nutrient utilisation patterns drive diverse phytoplankton assemblages and oceanic nitrogen fixation gradients