Atmospheric input of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Southeast Mediterranean: Sources, fluxes, and possible impact

Estimates of the sources and wet deposition fluxes of inorganic nutrients (PO43-, NO3-, NO2-, NH4+) have been made using a long-term wet atmospheric deposition measurement at three sites along the Mediterranean coast of Israel. The nutrient composition in rainwater indicated a dominant anthropogenic source for NO, and NH: and a continental, natural, and anthropogenic, rock/soil source for PO43-. The calculated long-term dissolved inorganic N (IN) and inorganic P (IP) fluxes were 0.28 and 0.009 g m(-2) yr(-1) to the coastal zone and estimated as 0.24 and 0.008 g m(-2) yr(-1) to the Southeast (SE) Mediterranean, with a possible increasing pattern of the annual dissolved IN fluxes. Concentration of total and seawater leachable LP (LIP) from dust was examined on 20 Whatman 41 filters collected during 1996. The mean total IP concentration in dust was 0.13 +/- 0.11% (geomean = 0.09%), with a mean of 387 +/- 205 mu g IP per g of dust leached by seawater. LIP from dust varies between 6 and 85% (mean of 38%) of the dry total IF. Dust of desert-type (Saharan) events exhibited lower LIP solubility in seawater (similar to 25%, median) than air masses of European origin (similar to 45%, median). The calculated ratio of wet deposition to total (wet and dry) deposition here of 0.2 showed the importance of dry deposition of P in the SE Mediterranean basin compared to atmospheric inputs into the northwestern basin. The total IP and seawater LIP fluxes from dry deposition were estimated as 0.04 and 0.01 g m(-2) yr(-1), respectively. Atmospheric inputs of bioavailable N and P represent an imbalanced contribution to the new production of 8-20 and 4-11%, respectively, and reinforce the unusual N: P ratios (similar to 27) and possible P limitation in the SE Mediterranean

Benthic foraminiferal response to natural and man-made eutrophicationin the oligotrophic southeast Mediterranean shelf

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Response of the Eastern Mediterranean Microbial Ecosystem to Dust and Dust Affected by Acid Processing in the Atmosphere

Acid processes in the atmosphere, particularly those caused by anthropogenic acid gases, increase the amount of bioavailable P in dust and hence are predicted to increase microbial biomass and primary productivity when supplied to oceanic surface waters. This is likely to be particularly important in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS), which is P limited during the winter bloom and N&P co-limited for phytoplankton in summer. However, it is not clear how the acid processes acting on Saharan dust will affect the microbial biomass and primary productivity in the EMS. Here, we carried out bioassay manipulations on EMS surface water on which Saharan dust was added as dust (Z), acid treated dust (ZA), dust plus excess N (ZN), and acid treated dust with excess N (ZNA) during springtime (May 2012) and measured bacterioplankton biomass, metabolic, and other relevant chemical and biological parameters. We show that acid treatment of Saharan dust increased the amount of bioavailable P supplied by a factor of ~40 compared to non-acidified dust (18.4 vs. 0.45 nmoles P mg−1 dust, respectively). The increase in chlorophyll, primary, and bacterial productivity for treatments Z and ZA were controlled by the amount of N added with the dust while those for treatments ZN and ZNA (in which excessive N was added) were controlled by the amount of P added. These results confirm that the surface waters were N&P co-limited for phytoplankton during springtime. However, total chlorophyll and primary productivity in the acid treated dust additions (ZA and ZNA) were less than predicted from that calculated from the amount of the potentially limiting nutrient added. This biological inhibition was interpreted as being due to labile trace metals being added with the acidified dust. A probable cause for this biological inhibition was the addition of dissolved Al, which forms potentially toxic Al nanoparticles when added to seawater. Thus, the effect of anthropogenic acid processes in the atmosphere, while increasing the flux of bioavailable P from dust to the surface ocean, may also add toxic trace metals such as Al, which moderate the fertilizing effect of the added nutrients

Springtime Contribution of Dinitrogen Fixation to Primary Production Across the Mediterranean Sea

Dinitrogen (N-2) fixation rates were measured during early spring across the different provinces of Mediterranean Sea surface waters. N-2 fixation rates, measured using N-15(2) enriched seawater, were lowest in the eastern basin and increased westward with a maximum at the Strait of Gibraltar (0.10 to 2.35 nmol NL-1 d(-1), respectively). These rates were 3-7 fold higher than N-2 fixation rates measured previously in the Mediterranean Sea during summertime and we estimated that methodological differences alone did not account for the seasonal changes we observed. Higher contribution of N-2 fixation to primary production (4-8 %) was measured in the western basin compared to the eastern basin (similar to 2 %). Our data indicates that these differences between basins may be attributed to changes in N-2-fixing planktonic communities and that heterotrophic diazotrophy may play a significant role in the eastern Mediterranean while autotrophic diazotrophy has a more dominant role in the western basin

Coupled sulfur and oxygen isotope insight into bacterial sulfate reduction in the natural environment

We present new sulfur and oxygen isotope data in sulfate (δ34SSO4 and δ18OSO4 respectively), from globally distributed marine and estuary pore fluids. We use this data with a model of the biochemical steps involved in bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) to explore how the slope on a δ18OSO4 vs. δ34SSO4 plot relates to the net sulfate reduction rate (nSRR) across a diverse range of natural environments. Our data demonstrate a correlation between the nSRR and the slope of the relative evolution of oxygen and sulfur isotopes (δ18OSO4 vs. δ34SSO4) in the residual sulfate pool, such that higher nSRR results in a lower slope (sulfur isotopes increase faster relative to oxygen isotopes). We combine these results with previously published literature data to show that this correlation scales over many orders of magnitude of nSRR. Our model of the mechanism of BSR indicates that the critical parameter for the relative evolution of oxygen and sulfur isotopes in sulfate during BSR in natural environments is the rate of intracellular sulfite oxidation. In environments where sulfate reduction is fast, such as estuaries and marginal marine environments, this sulfite reoxidation is minimal, and the δ18OSO4 increases more slowly relative to the δ34SSO4. In contrast, in environments where sulfate reduction is very slow, such as deep sea sediments, our model suggests sulfite reoxidation is far more extensive, with as much as 99% of the sulfate being thus recycled; in these environments the δ18OSO4 increases much more rapidly relative to the δ34SSO4. We speculate that the recycling of sulfite plays a physiological role during BSR, helping maintain microbial activity where the availability of the electron donor (e.g. available organic matter) is low

The Impact of Atmospheric Dry Deposition Associated Microbes on the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea Surface Water following an Intense Dust Storm

This study explores the potential impacts of microbes deposited into the surface seawater of the southeastern Mediterranean Sea (SEMS) along with atmospheric particles on marine autotrophic and heterotrophic production. We compared in situ changes in autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial abundance and production rates before and during an intense dust storm event in early September 2015. Additionally, we measured the activity of microbes associated with atmospheric dry deposition (also referred to as airborne microbes) in sterile SEMS water using the same particles collected during the dust storm. A high diversity of prokaryotes and a low diversity of autotrophic eukaryotic algae were delivered to surface SEMS waters by the storm. Autotrophic airborne microbial abundance and activity were low, contributing ~1% of natural abundance in SEMS water and accounting for 1–4% to primary production. Airborne heterotrophic bacteria comprised 30–50% of the cells and accounted for 13–42% of bacterial production. Our results demonstrate that atmospheric dry deposition may supply not only chemical constitutes but also microbes that can affect ambient microbial populations and their activity in the surface ocean. Airborne microbes may play a greater role in ocean biogeochemistry in the future in light of the expected enhancement of dust storm durations and frequencies due to climate change and desertification processes

Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Contribution to Dinitrogen Fixation in the Gulf of Aqaba

We evaluated the seasonal contribution of heterotrophic and autotrophic diazotrophy to the total dinitrogen (N2) fixation in the photic zone of a pelagic station in the northern Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. N2 fixation rates were highest during a Trichodesmium bloom in winter (0.7 nmol N l-1 d-1), decreased 7-fold 1 wk later throughout the upper 200 m (~0.1 nmol N l-1) d-1), and were significantly coupled with both primary and bacterial productivity. N2 fixation rates were generally higher in the upper 200 m (~0.4 nmol N l-1) d-1)) during the thermally stratified summer and were correlated solely with bacterial productivity. Experimental enrichment of seawater by phosphorus (P) enhanced bacterial productivity and N2 fixation rates during both seasons by 3- to 5-fold. Moreover, during the stratified season, experimental amendments to seawater applying a combination of the photosynthetic inhibitor 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea and a mixture of amino acids increased both bacterial productivity and N2 fixation rates. Our findings from the northern Gulf of Aqaba indicate that in the photic zone, a shift occurs in the diazotrophic community from phototrophic and heterotrophic populations in winter, including the cyanobacteria Trichodesmium, to predominantly heterotrophic diazotrophs in summer. These heterotrophic diazotrophs may be both carbon and P limited as illustrated by their response to additions of P and amino acids