Nitrous oxide cycling in the Arabian Sea

Depth profiles of dissolved nitrous oxide (N 2 O) were measured in the central and western Arabian Sea during four cruises in May and July‐August 1995 and May‐July 1997 as part of the German contribution to the Arabian Sea Process Study of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study. The vertical distribution of N 2 O in the water column on a transect along 65°E showed a characteristic double‐peak structure, indicating production of N 2 O associated with steep oxygen gradients at the top and bottom of the oxygen minimum zone. We propose a general scheme consisting of four ocean compartments to explain the N 2 O cycling as a result of nitrification and denitrification processes in the water column of the Arabian Sea. We observed a seasonal N 2 O accumulation at 600–800 m near the shelf break in the western Arabian Sea. We propose that, in the western Arabian Sea, N 2 O might also be formed during bacterial oxidation of organic matter by the reduction of IO 3 − to I − , indicating that the biogeochemical cycling of N 2 O in the Arabian Sea during the SW monsoon might be more complex than previously thought. A compilation of sources and sinks of N 2 O in the Arabian Sea suggested that the N 2 O budget is reasonably balanced.