Vertical turbulent nitrate flux from direct measurements in the western subarctic and subtropical gyres of the North Pacific

Abstract

Vertical turbulent nitrate fluxes were estimated in the western North Pacific from direct measurements of vertical turbulent mixing and vertically continuous nitrate profiles during the summer of 2008. We made three north–south transects that covered the area from the subarctic to the subtropics including a section along the Emperor Sea Mounts. Subsurface fluxes generally showed an increasing trend with increasing vertical gradient of nitrate from oligotrophic subtropical to non-oligotrophic subarctic waters. Enhanced fluxes [O(10−6) mmol m−2 s−1] due to elevated mixing [vertical diffusivity: O(10−5) m2 s−1] were observed, especially over the Emperor Sea Mounts. It is suggested that the internal tide generated by the topography enhanced the vertical mixing. In other subarctic areas, the fluxes were estimated as O(10−7) mmol m−2 s−1. The same order of fluxes was also found in the frontal area between the subarctic and subtropical gyres, the Kuroshio–Oyashio Transition Area. Enhancement of fluxes in the frontal area, including the Kuroshio Extension, was also observed at mid-depth regions, and their vertical divergence suggested nitrate transport from North Pacific Intermediate Water to lighter densities. In the frontal areas, the enhancement of turbulence is caused by the surface wind rather than the internal tide. In contrast, in the subtropical regions, subsurface fluxes were estimated as O(10−8) mmol m−2 s−1 owing to the small nitrate gradient even where diffusivity was enhanced. In these regions, enhancement of diffusivity, including that at mid-depths, corresponded to the elevation of the internal-tide dissipation, in addition to that of surface turbulence.