Publication Date:
2015-07-16
Description:
Nitrogen fixation in the Kuroshio influences nitrogen balance in the North Pacific Ocean. The genus Trichodesmium is recognized as a major diazotroph in the Kuroshio. Although its abundance is higher in the Kuroshio than in adjacent waters, the reason for this difference remains unclear. The present study investigated the abundance of Trichodesmium spp. and nitrogen fixation together with concentrations of dissolved iron and phosphate, whose availabilities potentially control diazotrophy, in the Kuroshio and its marginal seas. We performed the observations near the Miyako Islands, which form part of the Ryukyu Islands, situated along the Kuroshio, since satellite analysis suggested that material transport could occur from the islands to the Kuroshio. Trichodesmium spp. bloomed (〉 20 000 filaments L−1) near the Miyako Islands, and the abundance was high in the Kuroshio and the Kuroshio bifurcation region of the East China Sea, but was low in the Philippine Sea. The abundance of Trichodesmium spp. was significantly correlated with the total nitrogen fixation activity. The surface concentrations of dissolved iron (0.19–0.89 nM) and phosphate (〈 3–36 nM) were similar for all of the study areas, indicating that the nutrient distribution could not explain the spatial differences in Trichodesmium spp. abundance and nitrogen fixation. We used a numerical model to simulate the transportation of water around the Ryukyu Islands to the Kuroshio. Our results indicate that Trichodesmium growing around the islands situated along the Kuroshio is potentially important for determining diazotrophy in this region.
Print ISSN:
1810-6277
Electronic ISSN:
1810-6285
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
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