The Processing and Impact of Dissolved Riverine Nitrogen in the Arctic Ocean

Although the Arctic Ocean is the most riverineinfluenced of all of the world's oceans, the importance of terrigenous nutrients in this environment is poorly understood. This study couples estimates of circumpolar riverine nutrient fluxes from the PARTNERS (Pan-Arctic River Transport of Nutrient...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Estuaries and coasts 2012-03, Vol.35 (2), p.401-415
Main Authors: Tank, Suzanne E., Manizza, Manfredi, Holmes, Robert Max, McClelland, James W., Peterson, Bruce J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Biogeochemistry
Coastal Sciences
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Environment
Environmental Management
Estuaries
Freshwater
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Marine
Marine ecology
Nitrogen
Nutrient transport
Nutrients
Oceans
Organic matter
Organic nitrogen
Photosynthesis
Primary production
Primary productivity
Production estimates
Productivity
River deltas
Rivers
Sea water
Seas
SPECIAL SECTION: THE ARCTIC OCEAN ESTUARY
Surface water
Suspended sediments
Water and Health
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Summary:Although the Arctic Ocean is the most riverineinfluenced of all of the world's oceans, the importance of terrigenous nutrients in this environment is poorly understood. This study couples estimates of circumpolar riverine nutrient fluxes from the PARTNERS (Pan-Arctic River Transport of Nutrients, Organic Matter, and Suspended Sediments) Project with a regionally configured version of the MIT general circulation model to develop estimates of the distribution and availability of dissolved riverine N in the Arctic Ocean, assess its importance for primary production, and compare these estimates to potential bacterial production fueled by riverine C. Because riverine dissolved organic nitrogen is remineralized slowly, riverine N is available for uptake well into the open ocean. Despite this, we estimate that even when recycling is considered, riverine N may support 0.5-1.5 Tmol C year⁻¹ of primary production, a small proportion of total Arctic Ocean photosynthesis. Rapid uptake of dissolved inorganic nitrogen coupled with relatively high rates of dissolved organic nitrogen regeneration in N-limited nearshore regions, however, leads to potential localized rates of riverine-supported photosynthesis that represent a substantial proportion of nearshore production.
ISSN:1559-2723
1559-2731
DOI:10.1007/s12237-011-9417-3