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Evolution of the nitrogen cycle and its influence on the biological sequestration of CO2 in the ocean

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  • Paul G. Falkowski

    (Brookhaven National Laboratory)

Abstract

Over geological time, photosynthetic carbon fixation in the oceans has exceeded respiratory oxidation of organic carbon. The imbalance between the two processes has resulted in the simultaneous accumulation of oxygen in, and drawdown of carbon dioxide from, the Earth's atmosphere, and the burial of organic carbon in marine sediments1–3. It is generally assumed that these processes are limited by the availability of phosphorus4,5, which is supplied by continental weathering and fluvial discharge5–7. Over the past two million years, decreases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations during glacial periods correlate with increases in the export of organic carbon from surface waters to the marine sediments8–11, but variations in phosphorus fluxes appear to have been too small to account for these changes12,13. Consequently, it has been assumed that total oceanic primary productivity remained relatively constant during glacial-to-interglacial transitions, although the fraction of this productivity exported to the sediments somehow increased during glacial periods12,14. Here I present an analysis of the evolution of biogeochemical cycles which suggests that fixed nitrogen, not phosphorus, limits primary productivity on geological timescales. Small variations in the ratio of nitrogen fixation to denitrification can significantly change atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on glacial-to-interglacial timescales. The ratio of these two processes appears to be determined by the oxidation state of the ocean and the supply of trace elements, especially iron.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul G. Falkowski, 1997. "Evolution of the nitrogen cycle and its influence on the biological sequestration of CO2 in the ocean," Nature, Nature, vol. 387(6630), pages 272-275, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:387:y:1997:i:6630:d:10.1038_387272a0
    DOI: 10.1038/387272a0
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    Cited by:

    1. Pearse J. Buchanan & Olivier Aumont & Laurent Bopp & Claire Mahaffey & Alessandro Tagliabue, 2021. "Impact of intensifying nitrogen limitation on ocean net primary production is fingerprinted by nitrogen isotopes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Joseph T Snow & Despo Polyviou & Paul Skipp & Nathan A M Chrismas & Andrew Hitchcock & Richard Geider & C Mark Moore & Thomas S Bibby, 2015. "Quantifying Integrated Proteomic Responses to Iron Stress in the Globally Important Marine Diazotroph Trichodesmium," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(11), pages 1-24, November.
    3. Bernard, O. & Sciandra, A. & Madani, S., 2008. "Multimodel analysis of the response of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi to an elevation of pCO2 under nitrate limitation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 211(3), pages 324-338.
    4. Xin Zhou & Chunqing Chen & Fajin Chen & Zhiguang Song, 2021. "Changes in net anthropogenic nitrogen input in the watershed region of Zhanjiang Bay in south China from 1978 to 2018," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(12), pages 17201-17219, December.
    5. Xiyang Dong & Chuwen Zhang & Yongyi Peng & Hong-Xi Zhang & Ling-Dong Shi & Guangshan Wei & Casey R. J. Hubert & Yong Wang & Chris Greening, 2022. "Phylogenetically and catabolically diverse diazotrophs reside in deep-sea cold seep sediments," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.

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