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N 2 O production and consumption from stable isotopic and concentration data in the Peruvian coastal upwelling system
Author(s) -
Bourbonnais Annie,
Letscher Robert T.,
Bange Hermann W.,
Échevin Vincent,
Larkum Jennifer,
Mohn Joachim,
Yoshida Naohiro,
Altabet Mark A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
global biogeochemical cycles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.512
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1944-9224
pISSN - 0886-6236
DOI - 10.1002/2016gb005567
Subject(s) - denitrification , nitrate , environmental chemistry , upwelling , nitrous oxide , isotopes of nitrogen , organic matter , new production , isotope analysis , stable isotope ratio , anoxic waters , dominance (genetics) , isotopomers , nitrite , environmental science , chemistry , nutrient , oceanography , nitrogen , geology , phytoplankton , biochemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , molecule , gene
The ocean is an important source of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) to the atmosphere, yet the factors controlling N 2 O production and consumption in oceanic environments are still not understood nor constrained. We measured N 2 O concentrations and isotopomer ratios, as well as O 2 , nutrient and biogenic N 2 concentrations, and the isotopic compositions of nitrate and nitrite at several coastal stations during two cruises off the Peru coast (~5–16°S, 75–81°W) in December 2012 and January 2013. N 2 O concentrations varied from below equilibrium values in the oxygen deficient zone (ODZ) to up to 190 nmol L −1 in surface waters. We used a 3‐D‐reaction‐advection‐diffusion model to evaluate the rates and modes of N 2 O production in oxic waters and rates of N 2 O consumption versus production by denitrification in the ODZ. Intramolecular site preference in N 2 O isotopomer was relatively low in surface waters (generally −3 to 14‰) and together with modeling results, confirmed the dominance of nitrifier‐denitrification or incomplete denitrifier‐denitrification, corresponding to an efflux of up to 0.6 Tg N yr −1 off the Peru coast. Other evidence, e.g., the absence of a relationship between ΔN 2 O and apparent O 2 utilization and significant relationships between nitrate, a substrate during denitrification, and N 2 O isotopes, suggest that N 2 O production by incomplete denitrification or nitrifier‐denitrification decoupled from aerobic organic matter remineralization are likely pathways for extreme N 2 O accumulation in newly upwelled surface waters. We observed imbalances between N 2 O production and consumption in the ODZ, with the modeled proportion of N 2 O consumption relative to production generally increasing with biogenic N 2 . However, N 2 O production appeared to occur even where there was high N loss at the shallowest stations.