Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Nitrogen cycle

Oceans apart

Nature volume 461, pages 49–50 (2009)Cite this article

Reactive nitrogen is lost from the oceans as dinitrogen — N2 — produced by microbial metabolism. The latest twist in an ongoing story is that different pathways dominate in two of the oceanic regions concerned.

The availability of nitrogen limits biological production in much of the world ocean1; this in turn affects the strength of the 'biological pump' that converts carbon dioxide into organic matter that can sink and be sequestered in the deep sea2. The main input to the marine nitrogen cycle comes from the fixation of nitrogen gas (N2) into biologically available forms. The main output is through biological processes that generate a return flux of N2. Both input and output remain poorly constrained1, and there is a pressing need to define them better.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Principal features of the marine nitrogen cycle.
Figure 2: Two oceans, two nitrogen cycles.

References

  1. Codispoti, L. A. Biogeosciences 4, 233–253 (2007).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sabine, C. L. et al. Science 305, 367–371 (2004).

    Article  CAS  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Ward, B. B. et al. Nature 461, 78–81 (2009).

    Article  CAS  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Dalsgaard, T. et al. Nature 422, 606–608 (2003).

    Article  CAS  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Kuypers, M. M. M. et al. Nature 422, 608–611 (2003).

    Article  CAS  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Kuypers, M. M. M. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 6478–6483 (2005).

    Article  CAS  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Lam, P. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 4752–4757 (2009).

    Article  CAS  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Longhurst, A. et al. J. Plankton Res. 17, 1245–1271 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Capone, D. G. et al. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 172, 281–292 (1998).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Bange, H. in Nitrogen in the Marine Environment (eds Capone, D. et al.) 51–94 (Elsevier, 2008).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  11. Fabry, V. J. et al. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 65, 414–432 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maren Voss is at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Warnemünde, Seestrasse 15, D-18119 Rostock, Germany. maren.voss@io-warnemuende.de,

    Maren Voss

  2. Joseph P. Montoya is in the School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA. joseph.montoya@biology.gatech.edu,

    Joseph P. Montoya

Authors
  1. Maren Voss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joseph P. Montoya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Voss, M., Montoya, J. Oceans apart. Nature 461, 49–50 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/461049a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/461049a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing