Temperature dependence of CO2-enhanced primary production in the European Arctic Ocean

• Published in: Nature Climate Change
• Main Authors: Holding, J. M., Duarte, Carlos M., Sanz-Martín, M., Mesa, E., Arrieta, J M, Chierici, M., Hendriks, I. E., García-Corral, L. S., Regaudie-de-Gioux, A, Delgado, A., Reigstad, M, Wassmann, P., Agusti, Susana
• Other Authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, Marine Science Program, Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Department of Global Change Research, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Spain, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø the Arctic University of Norway (UiT), 9037 Tromsø, Norway, Departamento de Geologia Dinàmica, Geofísica i Paleontologia, Facultat de Geologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain, Laboratorio de Biogeoquímica de Isótopos Estables, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-Univ. Granada), 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain, Institute of Marine Research, FRAM-High North Research Centre for Climate and Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway, The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia, Centro de Biologia Marinha da Universidade de São Paulo, Praia do Cabelo Gordo, São Sebastião, São Paulo CEP 11600-000, Brazil
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Nature 2015
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/596052; https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2768

The Arctic Ocean is warming at two to three times the global rate1 and is perceived to be a bellwether for ocean acidification2, 3. Increased CO2 concentrations are expected to have a fertilization effect on marine autotrophs4, and higher temperatures should lead to increased rates of planktonic primary production5. Yet, simultaneous assessment of warming and increased CO2 on primary production in the Arctic has not been conducted. Here we test the expectation that CO2-enhanced gross primary production (GPP) may be temperature dependent, using data from several oceanographic cruises and experiments from both spring and summer in the European sector of the Arctic Ocean. Results confirm that CO2 enhances GPP (by a factor of up to ten) over a range of 145–2,099 μatm; however, the greatest effects are observed only at lower temperatures and are constrained by nutrient and light availability to the spring period. The temperature dependence of CO2-enhanced primary production has significant implications for metabolic balance in a warmer, CO2-enriched Arctic Ocean in the future. In particular, it indicates that a twofold increase in primary production during the spring is likely in the Arctic.