Running hotter, faster, shallower: acceleration of the marine nitrogen cycle from the Last Glacial Maximum to the pre-industrial, and implications for the future

Abstract:

Biologically-available nitrogen is the primary limiting nutrient in the global ocean. The complex physical-biological interdependencies of nitrogen fixation and denitrification, the source and sink of bioavailable nitrogen, have led to uncertainty over their future trajectories under higher CO₂. Sedimentary nitrogen isotope evidence suggests that the global rate of denitrification was on the order of 50% lower during the last glacial maximum, and reveals that significant changes in denitrification have occurred on a decadal-centennial timescale. Coupled atmosphere-ocean-biogeochemistry models simulate similar changes, through physically-driven changes in anoxia, which then feed back on nitrogen fixation through the availability of phosphorus to diazotrophs. In addition, diazotroph culture experiments suggest that nitrogen fixation was further limited during glacial maxima by low CO₂, causing an additional slowdown of the nitrogen cycle. The emergent picture suggests that deglaciation accelerated both sides of the N cycle, with more rapid loss encouraged by expanded shallow anoxia, and more rapid gain encouraged by higher CO₂. It will be argued that the net effect on the nitrogen inventory can be approximated by knowing the distribution of surface ocean PO₄, given the observed correlation of surface PO₄ concentrations on the P:C ratio of exported organic matter.