The Redfield ratio at 80
Image credit: PHOTOTAKE Inc. / Alamy
In 1934, Alfred Redfield discovered that the ratio of carbon to nitrogen to phosphorus is a nearly constant 106:16:1 throughout the world's oceans, in both phytoplankton biomass and in dissolved nutrient pools. This insight has proved invaluable in understanding marine biogeochemical cycles, but, 80 years later, subtle variations to this ratio have emerged. In this Web Focus, we present a collection of research and opinion pieces that examine nutrient dynamics across ancient and modern changing environments.
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News and Views
Ocean chemistry: Biogeochemical regimes in focus - pp862-863
Raymond N. Sambrotto
doi:10.1038/ngeo2309
The ocean's biological pump transfers carbon to long-term storage in deep waters and sediments. Two inverse modelling studies describe the export of organic matter throughout the surface layer of the world's oceans in exceptional detail.
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From the archives
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News and Views
Ocean science: Balancing ocean nitrogen -
Wolfgang Koeve & Paul Kähler
doi:10.1038/ngeo884
The ocean's nitrogen budget has escaped quantification. A modelling study shows how a small shift in the nitrate-to-phosphate uptake ratio of phytoplankton has a large effect on calculated nitrogen fixation rates.
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Review
Processes and patterns of oceanic nutrient limitation -
C. M. Moore, M. M. Mills, K. R. Arrigo, I. Berman-Frank & L. Bopp
doi:10.1038/ngeo1765
Photosynthetic microbes, collectively termed phytoplankton, are responsible for the vast majority of primary production in marine waters. A synthesis of the latest research suggests that two broad nutrient limitation regimes dictate phytoplankton abundance and activity in the global ocean.
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Letters
Strong latitudinal patterns in the elemental ratios of marine plankton and organic matter -
Adam C. Martiny, Chau T. A. Pham, Francois W. Primeau, Jasper A. Vrugt, J. Keith Moore, Simon A. Levin & Michael W. Lomas
doi:10.1038/ngeo1757
The elemental composition of marine organic matter is used to infer a variety of oceanic ecosystem processes. A compilation of observational data suggests that elemental ratios differ substantially from the Redfield ratio, but exhibit a clear latitudinal trend.
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Magnitude of oceanic nitrogen fixation influenced by the nutrient uptake ratio of phytoplankton -
Matthew M. Mills & Kevin R. Arrigo
doi:10.1038/ngeo856
The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in phytoplankton varies greatly with taxa and growth conditions. An ecosystem model suggests that the relative abundance of fast- and slow-growing phytoplankton controls the amount of new nitrogen added to the ocean.
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Articles
The acceleration of oceanic denitrification during deglacial warming -
Eric D. Galbraith & Markus Kienast
doi:10.1038/ngeo1832
The marine nitrogen cycle was altered during the transition from glacial to interglacial conditions. An analysis of δ15N records throughout the world's oceans suggests that rates of denitrification in the water column accelerated during the last deglaciation.
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