The role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: Northwestern North Atlantic case study
Continental shelves play a key role in the cycling of nitrogen and carbon. Here the physical transport and biogeochemical transformation processes affecting the fluxes into and out of continental shelf systems are reviewed, and their role in the global cycling of both elements is discussed. Uncertai...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:os2653 2023-05-15T17:29:06+02:00 The role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: Northwestern North Atlantic case study Fennel, K. 2018-01-15 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/os-6-539-2010 https://os.copernicus.org/articles/6/539/2010/ eng eng doi:10.5194/os-6-539-2010 https://os.copernicus.org/articles/6/539/2010/ eISSN: 1812-0792 Text 2018 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/os-6-539-2010 2020-07-20T16:26:24Z Continental shelves play a key role in the cycling of nitrogen and carbon. Here the physical transport and biogeochemical transformation processes affecting the fluxes into and out of continental shelf systems are reviewed, and their role in the global cycling of both elements is discussed. Uncertainties in the magnitude of organic and inorganic matter exchange between shelves and the open ocean is a major source of uncertainty in observation-based estimates of nitrogen and carbon fluxes. The shelf-open ocean exchange is hard to quantify based on observations alone, but can be inferred from biogeochemical models. Model-based nitrogen and carbon budgets are presented for the Northwestern North Atlantic continental shelf. Results indicate that shelves are an important sink for fixed nitrogen and a source of alkalinity, but are not much more efficient in exporting organic carbon to the deep ocean than the adjacent open ocean for the shelf region considered. Text North Atlantic Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Ocean Science 6 2 539 548 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
op_collection_id |
ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
Continental shelves play a key role in the cycling of nitrogen and carbon. Here the physical transport and biogeochemical transformation processes affecting the fluxes into and out of continental shelf systems are reviewed, and their role in the global cycling of both elements is discussed. Uncertainties in the magnitude of organic and inorganic matter exchange between shelves and the open ocean is a major source of uncertainty in observation-based estimates of nitrogen and carbon fluxes. The shelf-open ocean exchange is hard to quantify based on observations alone, but can be inferred from biogeochemical models. Model-based nitrogen and carbon budgets are presented for the Northwestern North Atlantic continental shelf. Results indicate that shelves are an important sink for fixed nitrogen and a source of alkalinity, but are not much more efficient in exporting organic carbon to the deep ocean than the adjacent open ocean for the shelf region considered. |
format |
Text |
author |
Fennel, K. |
spellingShingle |
Fennel, K. The role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: Northwestern North Atlantic case study |
author_facet |
Fennel, K. |
author_sort |
Fennel, K. |
title |
The role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: Northwestern North Atlantic case study |
title_short |
The role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: Northwestern North Atlantic case study |
title_full |
The role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: Northwestern North Atlantic case study |
title_fullStr |
The role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: Northwestern North Atlantic case study |
title_full_unstemmed |
The role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: Northwestern North Atlantic case study |
title_sort |
role of continental shelves in nitrogen and carbon cycling: northwestern north atlantic case study |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-6-539-2010 https://os.copernicus.org/articles/6/539/2010/ |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
eISSN: 1812-0792 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/os-6-539-2010 https://os.copernicus.org/articles/6/539/2010/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-6-539-2010 |
container_title |
Ocean Science |
container_volume |
6 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
539 |
op_container_end_page |
548 |
_version_ |
1766122694834651136 |