Deglacial nitrogen isotope changes in the Gulf of Mexico: evidence from bulk sedimentary and foraminifera-bound nitrogen in Orca Basin sediments

• Published in: Paleoceanography
• Main Authors: Meckler, A. Nele, Ren, Haojia, Sigman, Daniel M., Gruber, Nicolas, Plessen, Birgit, Schubert, Carsten J., Haug, Gerald H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2011
• Subjects: Orca
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1029/2011PA002156

Constraining variations in marine N 2 -fixation over glacial-interglacial timescales is crucial for determining the role of the marine nitrogen cycle in modifying ocean productivity and climate, yet paleo-records from N 2 -fixation regions are sparse. Here we present new nitrogen isotope ( δ 15 N) records of bulk sediment and foraminifera test-bound (FB) nitrogen extending back to the last ice age from the oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Previous studies indicate a substantial terrestrial input during the last ice age and early deglacial, for which we attempt to correct the bulk sediment δ 15 N using its observed relationship with the C/N ratio. Both corrected bulk and FB- δ 15 N reveal a substantial glacial-to-Holocene decrease of δ 15 N toward Holocene values of around 2.5 ‰, similar to observations from the Caribbean. This δ 15 N change is most likely due to a glacial-to-Holocene increase in regional N 2 -fixation. A deglacial peak in the FB- δ 15 N of thermocline dwelling foraminifera Orbulina universa probably reflects a whole ocean increase in the δ 15 N of nitrate during deglaciation. The δ 15 N of the surface dwelling foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber and the corrected bulk δ 15 N show little sign of this deglacial peak, both decreasing from last glacial values much earlier than does the δ 15 N of O. universa this may indicate that G. ruber and bulk N reflect the euphotic zone signal of an early local increase in N 2 -fixation. Our results add to the evidence that, during the last ice age, the larger iron input from dust did not lead to enhanced N 2 -fixation in this region. Rather, the glacial-to-Holocene decrease in δ 15 N is best explained by a response of N 2 -fixation within the Atlantic to the deglacial increase in global ocean denitrification.