Buchanan, Pearse J ORCID: 0000-0001-7142-882X, Aumont, Olivier, Bopp, Laurent, Mahaffey, Claire ORCID: 0000-0002-4215-7271 and Tagliabue, Alessandro ORCID: 0000-0002-3572-3634
(2021)
Impact of intensifying nitrogen limitation on ocean net primary production is fingerprinted by nitrogen isotopes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 12 (1).
6214-.
Abstract
The open ocean nitrogen cycle is being altered by increases in anthropogenic atmospheric nitrogen deposition and climate change. How the nitrogen cycle responds will determine long-term trends in net primary production (NPP) in the nitrogen-limited low latitude ocean, but is poorly constrained by uncertainty in how the source-sink balance will evolve. Here we show that intensifying nitrogen limitation of phytoplankton, associated with near-term reductions in NPP, causes detectable declines in nitrogen isotopes (δ<sup>15</sup>N) and constitutes the primary perturbation of the 21<sup>st</sup> century nitrogen cycle. Model experiments show that ~75% of the low latitude twilight zone develops anomalously low δ<sup>15</sup>N by 2060, predominantly due to the effects of climate change that alter ocean circulation, with implications for the nitrogen source-sink balance. Our results highlight that δ<sup>15</sup>N changes in the low latitude twilight zone may provide a useful constraint on emerging changes to nitrogen limitation and NPP over the 21<sup>st</sup> century.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | Phytoplankton, Nitrogen Isotopes, Seawater, Oceans and Seas, Climate Change, Nitrogen Cycle |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Environmental Sciences |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
Date Deposited: | 02 Nov 2021 16:16 |
Last Modified: | 18 Jan 2023 21:25 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41467-021-26552-w |
Open Access URL: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26552-w |
Related URLs: | |
URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3142541 |