Monsoon-driven export fluxes and early diagenesis of particulate nitrogen and its δ 15 N across the Somalia margin

Abstract

Abstract Settling nitrogen fluxes intercepted by sediment traps on the mid-slope and in the deep basin off Somalia show a consistent annual range of 3.4 ± 0.2‰ in their stable isotope composition. Seasonal minima in δ 15 N of 3.7‰ are associated with the moderate N fluxes derived from coastally upwelled water, which is rapidly carried offshore along eddy margins passing over the mooring sites during the SW monsoon (June–September). Coastal upwelling, offshore transport and deep wind mixing cease at the end of the SW monsoon, leading to enhanced utilization of the up to 20 μM of NO 3 − in the photic layer, maxima in the N export flux, and an increasing δ 15 N by Rayleigh distillation. Yet as stratification develops, nutrient exhaustion follows and export production collapses as the δ 15 N increases to over 7‰. Cyanobacterial N 2 fixation probably diminishes the δ 15 N by 0.4–1.6‰ during the autumn intermonsoon (November–December) when settling N fluxes are lowest. Nutrient utilization remains high during the NE monsoon (January–March), when nutrient entrainment by deep wind mixing results in enhanced N export with maxima in δ 15 N of up to 7.4‰. Annual N fluxes have virtually the same δ 15 N of 6.0‰ in all traps despite considerable differences in both N flux and δ 15 N between the traps during the year and at different depths. In comparison with the annual δ 15 N of 6.0‰ arriving on the sea floor, core-top sediments are enriched by +0.6‰ on the upper slope (at 487 m) increasing to +2.9‰ in the deep basin (at 4040 m), whereas the N sediment burial efficiency declines from about 17% to 3%. It appears that the extent of oxic decomposition at the sediment-water interface is the most likely cause of such isotope enrichment. Similar positive gradients in δ 15 N with bottom depth have been reported from other continental margin transects and are generally attributed to increased nutrient utilization in the photic ocean with distance offshore. As for Somalia, nitrogen isotope fractionation as a result of oxic decomposition on the bottom rather than nutrient utilization at the ocean surface may account for the observed increase of sedimentary δ 15 N down continental margins in general.