Box-modeling of the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and benthic remineralization on the nitrogen cycle of the eastern tropical South Pacific

Abstract

Both atmospheric deposition and benthic remineralization influence the marine nitrogen cycle, and hence ultimately also marine primary production. The biological and biogeochemical relations of the eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP) to nitrogen deposition, benthic denitrification and phosphate regeneration are analysed in a prognostic box model of the oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in the ETSP. In the model, atmospheric nitrogen deposition based on estimates for the years 2000-2009 is offset by half by reduced N2 fixation, with the other half transported out of the model domain. Both model- and data-based benthic denitrification are found to trigger nitrogen fixation, partly compensating for the NO3- loss. Since phosphate is the ultimate limiting nutrient in the model, enhanced sedimentary phosphate regeneration under suboxic conditions stimulates primary production and subsequent export production and NO3- loss in the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). A sensitivity analysis of the local response to both atmospheric deposition and benthic remineralization indicates dominant stabilizing feedbacks in the ETSP, which tend to keep a balanced nitrogen inventory, i.e., nitrogen input by atmospheric deposition is counteracted by decreasing nitrogen fixation; NO3- loss via benthic denitrification is partly compensated by increased nitrogen fixation; enhanced nitrogen fixation stimulated by phosphate regeneration is partly removed by the stronger water-column denitrification. Even though the water column in our model domain acts as a NO3- source, the ETSP including benthic denitrification might become a NO3- sink.