Nature 283, 752 - 754 (21 February 1980); doi:10.1038/283752a0

¹⁵N natural abundance in oceanic suspended particulate matter

Toshiro Saino & Akihiko Hattori

Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164, Japan

Particulate organic matter (POM) has a central role in the vertical transport of material in the sea¹. In the open ocean, POM is produced in the euphotic layer by phytoplankton and degraded in the aphotic layer during sinking to the sea floor. Isotopic abundance of biophilic elements such as C and N in POM is altered by isotopic fractionations associated with biochemical reactions². Natural abundances of ¹³C or ¹⁵N thus provide useful information on biochemical behaviour of POM in the sea. We report here the first comprehensive data on the vertical distribution of ¹⁵N in suspended POM³ collected at a station in the northeastern Indian Ocean. Also, we discuss how nitrogen isotopic analysis could be used for the identification and quantification of the vertical transport processes.

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