High rates of nitrogen fixation in equatorial upwelling region

Abstract

Surface waters in upwelling regions of the ocean are generally rich in nutrients. Scientists had thought that these areas would have low rates of nitrogen fixation because diazotrophs—microbes that convert nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into usable forms, such as ammonia—could use the nutrients in the water directly instead of having to fix nitrogen gas. However, researchers recently recorded high rates of nitrogen fixation in an upwelling region in the equatorial Atlantic.