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The effect of advection on the nutrient reservoir in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

Nature volume 437, pages 687–692 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Though critically important in sustaining the ocean's biological pump, the cycling of nutrients in the subtropical gyres is poorly understood. The supply of nutrients to the sunlit surface layer of the ocean has traditionally been attributed solely to vertical processes. However, horizontal advection may also be important in establishing the availability of nutrients. Here we show that the production and advection of North Atlantic Subtropical Mode Water introduces spatial and temporal variability in the subsurface nutrient reservoir beneath the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. As the mode water is formed, its nutrients are depleted by biological utilization. When the depleted water mass is exported to the gyre, it injects a wedge of low-nutrient water into the upper layers of the ocean. Contrary to intuition, cold winters that promote deep convective mixing and vigorous mode water formation may diminish downstream primary productivity by altering the subsurface delivery of nutrients.

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Figure 1: Schematic representation of the mean circulation of the warm water (> 17 °C) of the North Atlantic.
Figure 2: Nitrate (open symbols) and temperature (filled symbols) as a function of depth.
Figure 3: Properties of WOCE section A22 in August 1997.
Figure 4: Nitrate concentration versus PV at the PV minima over the density range 1026.45–1026.55 kg m-3.
Figure 5: Properties of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre.

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Acknowledgements

We thank P. Lethaby for the Hydrostation S data, D. Fratantoni for the EKE data, and D. LaBel and W. Smethie for the CFC age data. This Article also benefited from discussions with M. Follows and W. Jenkins. This work was supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Earth and Ocean Science, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Science, Duke University, North Carolina, 27708, Durham, USA

    Jaime B. Palter & M. Susan Lozier

  2. Division of Coastal Systems Science and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Science, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, North Carolina, 28516, Beaufort, USA

    Richard T. Barber

Authors
  1. Jaime B. Palter
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Correspondence to Jaime B. Palter.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Figure S1

Nitrate, CFC age and PV for WOCE sections A20 and A22 in 1997. (PDF 1146 kb)

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Palter, J., Lozier, M. & Barber, R. The effect of advection on the nutrient reservoir in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. Nature 437, 687–692 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03969

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