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Climate-related variations in denitrification in the Arabian Sea from sediment 15N/14N ratios

Nature volume 373, pages 506–509 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

DENITRIFICATION—the process by which nitrate is reduced to gaseous nitrogen species (usually N2 or N2O)—is the dominant mechanism for removal of fixed nitrogen from the biosphere. In the oceans, denitrification is mediated by bacteria in suboxic environments and, by controlling the supply of fixed nitrogen, is an important limiting factor for marine productivity1–3. Denitrification produces substantial 15N enrichment in subsurface nitrate4–6, which is reflected in the isotopic composition of sinking particulate nitrogen7; sediment 15N/14N ratios in regions with suboxic water columns may therefore provide a record of past changes in denitrification intensity. Here we report nitrogen isotope data for sediment cores from three sites in the Arabian Sea. At all three sites we find large, near-synchronous downcore variations in 15N/14N, which are best explained by regional changes in the isotopic composition of subsurface nitrate, and hence denitrification. Moreover, these variations are synchronous with Milankovitch cycles, thereby establishing a link with climate. We argue that these large, climate-linked variations, in a region that contributes significantly to global marine denitrification, are likely to have perturbed marine biogeo-chemical cycles during the Late Quaternary period.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, USA

    Mark A. Altabet & Roger Francois

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Box 1846, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA

    David W. Murray & Warren L. Prell

Authors
  1. Mark A. Altabet
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  2. Roger Francois
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  3. David W. Murray
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  4. Warren L. Prell
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Altabet, M., Francois, R., Murray, D. et al. Climate-related variations in denitrification in the Arabian Sea from sediment 15N/14N ratios. Nature 373, 506–509 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/373506a0

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