Amazon River enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean
The fresh water discharged by large rivers such as the Amazon is transported hundreds to thousands of kilometers away from the coast by surface plumes. The nutrients delivered by these river plumes contribute to enhanced primary production in the ocean, and the sinking flux of this new production re...
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Online Access: | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2480616 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18647838 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0710279105 |
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:2480616 2023-05-15T17:28:44+02:00 Amazon River enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean Subramaniam, A. Yager, P. L. Carpenter, E. J. Mahaffey, C. Björkman, K. Cooley, S. Kustka, A. B. Montoya, J. P. Sañudo-Wilhelmy, S. A. Shipe, R. Capone, D. G. 2008-07-29 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2480616 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18647838 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0710279105 en eng National Academy of Sciences http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2480616 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18647838 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0710279105 © 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA Freely available online through the PNAS open access option. Biological Sciences Text 2008 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0710279105 2013-09-02T02:36:51Z The fresh water discharged by large rivers such as the Amazon is transported hundreds to thousands of kilometers away from the coast by surface plumes. The nutrients delivered by these river plumes contribute to enhanced primary production in the ocean, and the sinking flux of this new production results in carbon sequestration. Here, we report that the Amazon River plume supports N2 fixation far from the mouth and provides important pathways for sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in the western tropical North Atlantic (WTNA). We calculate that the sinking of carbon fixed by diazotrophs in the plume sequesters 1.7 Tmol of C annually, in addition to the sequestration of 0.6 Tmol of C yr−1 of the new production supported by NO3 delivered by the river. These processes revise our current understanding that the tropical North Atlantic is a source of 2.5 Tmol of C to the atmosphere [Mikaloff-Fletcher SE, et al. (2007) Inverse estimates of the oceanic sources and sinks of natural CO2 and the implied oceanic carbon transport. Global Biogeochem Cycles 21, doi:10.1029/2006GB002751]. The enhancement of N2 fixation and consequent C sequestration by tropical rivers appears to be a global phenomenon that is likely to be influenced by anthropogenic activity and climate change. Text North Atlantic PubMed Central (PMC) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105 30 10460 10465 |
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Biological Sciences Subramaniam, A. Yager, P. L. Carpenter, E. J. Mahaffey, C. Björkman, K. Cooley, S. Kustka, A. B. Montoya, J. P. Sañudo-Wilhelmy, S. A. Shipe, R. Capone, D. G. Amazon River enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean |
topic_facet |
Biological Sciences |
description |
The fresh water discharged by large rivers such as the Amazon is transported hundreds to thousands of kilometers away from the coast by surface plumes. The nutrients delivered by these river plumes contribute to enhanced primary production in the ocean, and the sinking flux of this new production results in carbon sequestration. Here, we report that the Amazon River plume supports N2 fixation far from the mouth and provides important pathways for sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in the western tropical North Atlantic (WTNA). We calculate that the sinking of carbon fixed by diazotrophs in the plume sequesters 1.7 Tmol of C annually, in addition to the sequestration of 0.6 Tmol of C yr−1 of the new production supported by NO3 delivered by the river. These processes revise our current understanding that the tropical North Atlantic is a source of 2.5 Tmol of C to the atmosphere [Mikaloff-Fletcher SE, et al. (2007) Inverse estimates of the oceanic sources and sinks of natural CO2 and the implied oceanic carbon transport. Global Biogeochem Cycles 21, doi:10.1029/2006GB002751]. The enhancement of N2 fixation and consequent C sequestration by tropical rivers appears to be a global phenomenon that is likely to be influenced by anthropogenic activity and climate change. |
format |
Text |
author |
Subramaniam, A. Yager, P. L. Carpenter, E. J. Mahaffey, C. Björkman, K. Cooley, S. Kustka, A. B. Montoya, J. P. Sañudo-Wilhelmy, S. A. Shipe, R. Capone, D. G. |
author_facet |
Subramaniam, A. Yager, P. L. Carpenter, E. J. Mahaffey, C. Björkman, K. Cooley, S. Kustka, A. B. Montoya, J. P. Sañudo-Wilhelmy, S. A. Shipe, R. Capone, D. G. |
author_sort |
Subramaniam, A. |
title |
Amazon River enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean |
title_short |
Amazon River enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean |
title_full |
Amazon River enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean |
title_fullStr |
Amazon River enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Amazon River enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean |
title_sort |
amazon river enhances diazotrophy and carbon sequestration in the tropical north atlantic ocean |
publisher |
National Academy of Sciences |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2480616 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18647838 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0710279105 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2480616 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18647838 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0710279105 |
op_rights |
© 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA Freely available online through the PNAS open access option. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0710279105 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
container_volume |
105 |
container_issue |
30 |
container_start_page |
10460 |
op_container_end_page |
10465 |
_version_ |
1766121596025569280 |