Advances in Understanding the Marine Nitrogen Cycle in the GEOTRACES Era

Abstract

Because nitrogen availability limits primary production over much of the global ocean, understanding the controls on the marine nitrogen inventory and supply to the surface ocean is essential for understanding biological productivity and exchange of greenhouse gases with the atmosphere. Quantifying the ocean’s inputs, outputs, and internal cycling of nitrogen requires a variety of tools and approaches, including measurements of the nitrogen isotope ratio in organic and inorganic nitrogen species. The marine nitrogen cycle, which shapes nitrogen availability and speciation in the ocean, is linked to the elemental cycles of carbon, phosphorus, and trace elements. For example, the majority of nitrogen cycle oxidation and reduction reactions are mediated by enzymes that require trace metals for catalysis. Recent observations made through global-scale programs such as GEOTRACES have greatly expanded our knowledge of the marine nitrogen cycle. Though much work remains to be done, here we outline key advances in understanding the marine nitrogen cycle that have been achieved through these analyses, such as the distributions and rates of dinitrogen fixation, terrestrial nitrogen inputs, and nitrogen loss processes.