Phosphorus cycling in the North and South Atlantic Ocean subtropical gyres

• Published in: Nature geoscience Vol. 1; no. 7; pp. 439 - 443
• Main Authors: Mather, Rhiannon L., Reynolds, Sarah E., Wolff, George A., Williams, Richard G., Torres-Valdes, Sinhue, Woodward, E. Malcolm S., Landolfi, Angela, Pan, Xi, Sanders, Richard, Achterberg, Eric P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.07.2008; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Carbon fixation; Dissolved organic phosphorus; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earth System Sciences; Euphotic zone; Geochemistry; Geology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Gyres; letter; Nitrogen fixation; Physical properties; Primary production; ANE, North Atlantic, North Atlantic Gyre; AN, North Atlantic; AS, South Atlantic Gyre; AN, North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre; Africa, Sahara Desert; AS, South Atlantic
• ISSN: 1752-0894; 1752-0908
• DOI: 10.1038/ngeo232

The surface waters of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre are depleted in phosphate, relative to the South Atlantic gyre. Despite this nutrient limitation, the two gyres have comparable rates of carbon fixation. Measurements of enzyme activity suggest that dissolved organic phosphorus may be fuelling northern productivity. Despite similar physical properties, the Northern and Southern Atlantic subtropical gyres have different biogeochemical regimes. The Northern subtropical gyre, which is subject to iron deposition from Saharan dust 1 , is depleted in the nutrient phosphate, possibly as a result of iron-enhanced nitrogen fixation 2 . Although phosphate depleted, rates of carbon fixation in the euphotic zone of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre are comparable to those of the South Atlantic subtropical gyre 3 , which is not phosphate limited. Here we use the activity of the phosphorus-specific enzyme alkaline phosphatase to show potentially enhanced utilization of dissolved organic phosphorus occurring over much of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. We find that during the boreal spring up to 30% of primary production in the North Atlantic gyre is supported by dissolved organic phosphorus. Our diagnostics and composite map of the surface distribution of dissolved organic phosphorus in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean reveal shorter residence times in the North Atlantic gyre than the South Atlantic gyre. We interpret the asymmetry of dissolved organic phosphorus cycling in the two gyres as a consequence of enhanced nitrogen fixation in the North Atlantic Ocean 4 , which forces the system towards phosphorus limitation. We suggest that dissolved organic phosphorus utilization may contribute to primary production in other phosphorus-limited ocean settings as well.