Seasonal variability in nitrogenous nutrition of phytoplankton assemblages in the northeastern subarctic Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Nitrogen uptake rates, and physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the euphotic zone were studied in winter, spring and late summer during the period 1992–1994 along a transect (Line P) extending from the continental slope off the southwest corner of Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada; station P4; 49°N, 127°W) to open waters in the NE Pacific (OSP; 50°N, 145°W). Nitrate (NO 3 −) and silicic acid (Si(OH) 4) concentrations increased offshore during every season. Lowest NO 3 − and Si(OH) 4 values were observed during late summer and spring, and highest during winter throughout the euphotic zone. For spring and late summer, surface depletion of NO 3 − was observed at the inshore end of the transect, while offshore concentrations were never limiting for phytoplankton growth. Silicic acid was never depleted at any depth or station during the period covered by this study. Ammonium (NH 4 +) and urea concentrations exhibited a patchy distribution along the transect, with no seasonal variations. Chlorophyll a and particulate nitrogen did not show a consistent longitudinal pattern from year to year. In general, the highest concentrations of chlorophyll a and particulate nitrogen were measured during the late summer cruises, with lower values in spring and lowest in winter. Phytoplankton assemblages were numerically dominated by flagellates <5 μm throughout the water column on each cruise transect. Ammonium, urea and NO 3 − uptake rates represented on average 55, 24 and 21% of the depth-integrated total nitrogen uptake, both longitudinally and seasonally; hence, phytoplankton utilized nitrogen in the following order: NH 4 +>urea>NO 3 − along Line P. Ammonium may have inhibited the uptake rates of NO 3 − and urea. Urea uptake rates were lower than those of NH 4 +, but higher values were occasionally observed at a few depths along the transect, particularly during the spring of 1993. Depth-integrated NH 4 + uptake rates were generally higher inshore, while NO 3 − uptake rates showed higher values offshore during most seasons. In contrast, urea uptake rates did not exhibit a consistent longitudinal trend. The depth-integrated f-ratio ranged from 0.05 to 0.37 with an average of 0.21 for all stations and cruises, and was overestimated on average by 36% when urea was excluded from the calculation. On a yearly basis, primary productivity in the NE subarctic Pacific was based on regenerated nitrogen.