Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Recent studies show that stoichiometric elemental ratios of marine ecosystems are not static at Redfield proportions but vary systematically between biomes. However, the wider Atlantic Ocean is undersampled for particulate organic matter (POM) elemental composition, especially when it comes to phosphorus (i.e., POP). Thus, it is uncertain how environmental variation in this region translates into shifts in the C:N:P ratio. To address this, we analyzed hydrography, genomics, and POM concentrations from 877 stations on the meridional transects AMT28 and C13.5, spanning the Atlantic Ocean. We observed nutrient-replete, high-latitude ecosystem C:N:P to be significantly lower than that in the oligotrophic gyres. Latitudinal and zonal differences in elemental stoichiometry were linked to overall nutrient supply as well as N vs. P stress. C:P and N:P were generally higher in the P-stressed northern region compared to Southern Hemisphere regions. We also detected a zonal difference linked to a westward deepening nutricline and a shift from N to P stress. We also evaluated possible seasonal changes in C:N:P across the basin and predicted these to be limited. Overall, this study confirms latitudinal shifts in surface ocean POM ratios but reveals previously unrecognized hemisphere and zonal gradients. This work demonstrates the importance of understanding how regional shifts in hydrography and type of nutrient stress shape the coupling between Atlantic Ocean nutrient and carbon cycles.
Source: Biogeosciences
Institutions: University of California, Irvine, Princeton University
Language: English
Subfield: Oceanography
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,628
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Simons Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, Sight Research UK, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Natural Environment Research Council
Awards: G1137412115, G1821804007, G2091100600, Quantifying ocean oxygen-to-carbon demand by chemical analyses and inverse models, G3149214604, G316067346, G3305931967, Marine LTSS: Climate Linked Atlantic Sector Science, G4399129086, G5330321839, G573515626, G6662901448, Convergence: RAISE: Linking the adaptive dynamics of plankton with emergent global ocean biogeochemistry
OpenAlex ID: W4402970512