ALBERT

Description: Little is known about nitrogen (N) transformations in general, and the elimination of N in particular, at diffuse vents where anoxic hydrothermal fluids have mixed with oxygenated crustal seawater prior to discharge. Oceanic N sinks that remove bio-available N ultimately affect chemosynthetic primary productivity in these ecosystems. Using 15N paired isotope techniques, we determined potential rates of fixed N-loss pathways (denitrification, anammox) and dissimilative nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) in sulfidic hydrothermal vent fluids discharging from the subsurface at several sites at Axial Volcano and the Endeavour Segment on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. We also measured physico-chemical parameters (i.e. temperature, pH, nutrients, H2S and N2O concentrations) as well as the biodiversity and abundance of chemolithotrophic nitrate-reducing, sulfur-oxidizing γ-proteobacteria (SUP05 cluster) using sequence analysis of amplified small subunit ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) genes in combination with taxon-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays. Denitrification was the dominant N-loss pathway in the subsurface biosphere of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, with rates of up to ~1000 nmol N l−1 day−1. In comparison, anammox rates were always

Description: O2 minimum zones (OMZ) of the world's oceans are important locations for microbial dissimilatory NO3- reduction and subsequent loss of combined nitrogen (N) to biogenic N2 gas. This is particularly so when the OMZ is coupled to a region of high productivity leading to high rates of N-loss as found in the coastal upwelling region off Peru. Stable N isotope ratios (and O in the case of NO3- and NO2-) can be used as natural tracers of OMZ N-cycling because of distinct kinetic isotope effects associated with microbially-mediated N-cycle transformations. Here we present NO2- and NO3- stable isotope data from the nearshore upwelling region off Callao, Peru. Subsurface O2 was generally depleted below about 30 m depth with O2 less than 10 μM, while NO2- concentrations were high, ranging from 6 to 10 μM and NO3- was in places strongly depleted to near 0 μM. We observed for the first time, a positive linear relationship between NO2- δ15N and δ18O at our coastal stations, analogous to that of NO3- N and O isotopes during assimilatory and dissimilatory reduction. This relationship is likely the result of rapid NO2- turnover due to higher organic matter flux in these coastal upwelling waters. No such relationship was observed at offshore stations where slower turnover of NO2- facilitates dominance of isotope exchange with water. We also evaluate the overall isotope fractionation effect for N-loss in this system using several approaches that vary in their underlying assumptions. While there are differences in apparent fractionation factor (ε) for N-loss as calculated from the δ15N of [NO3-], DIN, or biogenic N2, values for ε are generally much lower than previously reported, reaching as low as 6.5‰. A possible explanation is the influence of sedimentary N-loss at our inshore stations which incurs highly suppressed isotope fractionation.

Description: Mesoscale eddies play a major role in controlling ocean biogeochemistry. By impacting nutrient availability and water column ventilation, they are of critical importance for oceanic primary production. In the eastern tropical South Pacific Ocean off Peru, where a large and persistent oxygen deficient zone is present, mesoscale processes have been reported to occur frequently. However, investigations on their biological activity are mostly based on model simulations, and direct measurements of carbon and dinitrogen (N2) fixation are scarce. We examined an open ocean cyclonic eddy and two anticyclonic mode water eddies: a coastal one and an open ocean one in the waters off Peru along a section at 16° S in austral summer 2012. Molecular data and bioassay incubations point towards a difference between the active diazotrophic communities present in the cyclonic eddy and the anticyclonic mode water eddies. In the cyclonic eddy, highest rates of N2 fixation were measured in surface waters but no N2 fixation signal was detected at intermediate water depths. In contrast, both anticyclonic mode water eddies showed pronounced maxima in N2 fixation below the euphotic zone as evidenced by rate measurements and geochemical data. N2 fixation and carbon (C) fixation were higher in the young coastal mode water eddy compared to the older offshore mode water eddy. A co-occurrence between N2 fixation and biogenic N2, an indicator for N loss, indicated a link between N loss and N2 fixation in the mode water eddies, which was not observed for the cyclonic eddy. The comparison of two consecutive surveys of the coastal mode water eddy in November and December 2012 revealed also a reduction of N2 and C fixation at intermediate depths along with a reduction in chlorophyll by half, mirroring an aging effect in this eddy. Our data indicate an important role for anticyclonic mode water eddies in stimulating N2 fixation and thus supplying N offshore.

Description: Little is known about fixed nitrogen (N) transformation and elimination at diffuse hydrothermal vents where anoxic fluids are mixed with oxygenated crustal seawater prior to discharge. Oceanic N sinks that remove bio-available N ultimately affect chemosynthetic primary productivity in these ecosystems. Using 15N paired isotope techniques, we determined potential rates of fixed N loss pathways (denitrification, anammox) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) in sulfidic hydrothermal vent fluids discharging from the subsurface at several sites at Axial Volcano and the Endeavour Segment on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. We also measured physico-chemical parameters (i.e., temperature, pH, nutrients, H2S and N2O concentrations) as well as the biodiversity and abundance of chemolithoautotrophic nitrate-reducing, sulfur-oxidizing γ-proteobacteria (SUP05 cluster) using sequence analysis of amplified small subunit ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) genes in combination with taxon-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays. Denitrification was the dominant N loss pathway in the subsurface biosphere of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, with rates of up to ~1000 nmol N l−1 day−1. In comparison, anammox rates were always 〈 5 nmol N l−1 day−1 and below the detection limit at most of the sites. DNRA rates were up to ~150 nmol N l−1 day−1. These results suggest that bacterial denitrification out-competes anammox in sulfidic hydrothermal vent waters. Taxon-specific qPCR revealed that γ-proteobacteria of the SUP05 cluster sometimes dominated the microbial community (SUP05/total bacteria up to 38%). Significant correlations were found between fixed N loss (i.e., denitrification, anammox) rates and in situ nitrate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) deficits in the fluids, indicating that DIN availability may ultimately regulate N loss in the subsurface. Based on our rate measurements, and on published data on hydrothermal fluid fluxes and residence times, we estimated that up to ~10 Tg N yr−1 could globally be removed in the subsurface biosphere of hydrothermal vents systems, thus, representing a small fraction of the total marine N loss (~275 to 〉 400 Tg N yr−1).