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Tracing Nitrogen Biogeochemistry During the Beginning of a Spring Phytoplankton Bloom in the Yellow Sea Using Coupled Nitrate Nitrogen and Oxygen Isotope Ratios
Author(s) -
Liu Su Mei,
Altabet Mark A.,
Zhao Liang,
Larkum Jennifer,
Song Guo Dong,
Zhang Guo Ling,
Jin Haiyan,
Han Li Jun
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: biogeosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8961
pISSN - 2169-8953
DOI - 10.1002/2016jg003752
Subject(s) - spring bloom , biogeochemistry , nitrogen , nitrate , oceanography , phytoplankton , nutrient , water column , benthic zone , environmental science , bloom , seawater , environmental chemistry , water mass , spring (device) , hydrology (agriculture) , chemistry , ecology , geology , biology , mechanical engineering , organic chemistry , engineering , geotechnical engineering
Nitrogen biogeochemistry during the beginning of a spring phytoplankton bloom in the Yellow Sea was investigated based on nutrient concentrations, benthic fluxes of nutrients, the nitrogen and oxygen isotope composition of NO 3 − , and the hydrological conditions. The δ 15 N and δ 18 O values for NO 3 − in the Yellow Sea were more variable in surface waters than in near‐bottom waters and were generally 6.3–8.2‰ for δ 15 N and 6.2–9.7‰ for δ 18 O, except in the Yellow Sea Coastal Current Water (YSCCW), where the maximum δ 15 N and δ 18 O values found were 13.2‰ and 18.8‰, respectively. Both the δ 15 N and δ 18 O values varied among the different water masses with higher values in the YSCCW than in the Yellow Sea Mixed Water and the Yellow Sea Warm Current Water. Higher δ 18 O relative to δ 15 N in NO 3 − in the Yellow Sea reflects contributions from multiple NO 3 − sources, including nitrification and atmospheric deposition with the later accounting for 71% of total external NO 3 − input. A simple nitrogen budget indicated the importance of nutrient regeneration from sediments as a source for water column NO 3 − representing 74% of total NO 3 − input in the YS.