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Nitrate and ammonium uptake in Antarctic waters 1
Author(s) -
Olson Robert J.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1980.25.6.1064
Subject(s) - ammonium , nitrate , water column , oceanography , new production , ammonium nitrate , environmental science , environmental chemistry , spring (device) , tracer , chemistry , biology , geology , ecology , nutrient , phytoplankton , mechanical engineering , physics , organic chemistry , nuclear physics , engineering
Nitrate and ammonium uptake rates were measured by the 15 N tracer technique in Antarctic waters. The ratio averaged 0.54 in the Scotia Sea in early spring and 0.40 in the Ross Sea in summer, indicating that NO 3 − and NH 4 + contribute about equally to primary production in these regions and that a large proportion of the primary production is exported from the surface layers. Uptake rates in laboratory experiments increased with increasing temperature and the relative uptake of NH 4 + was positively correlated with increasing mean ambient NH 4 + concentration and depth in the water column.