Ambient nitrate switches the ammonium consumption pathway in the euphotic ocean

高树基教授研究团队的研究论文，以现场原位速率观测与环境因子调查，证明了环境硝酸盐浓度是调控海洋真光层不同氨氮消耗途径的关键因子。硝酸盐通过影响浮游植物对于氨氮吸收的能力，决定了真光层内氨氮的氧化路径强弱，刻画了海洋真光层氮循环的微结构。高树基团队利用同位素示踪培养技术，围绕南海和西北太平洋真光层内硝化作用和浮游植物氨氮吸收速率的垂直分布特点及其动力学特征进行研究。首次提出硝酸盐浓度通过影响不同浮游植物类群对于氨氮的吸收能力，从而调控真光层的氨氮消耗途径。研究团队的万显会博士为成果的第一作者，近海海洋环境科学国家重点实验室的戴民汉教授，史大林教授、张瑶教授、盛华夏博士后、祝依凡，以及澳大利亚联邦科学与工业研究组的Tom Trull教授和美国Bigelow海洋实验室的Mike Lomas教授为成果的共同完成人。【Abstract】Phytoplankton assimilation and microbial oxidation of ammonium are two critical conversion pathways in the marine nitrogen cycle. The underlying regulatory mechanisms of these two competing processes remain unclear. Here we show that ambient nitrate acts as a key variable to bifurcate ammonium flow through assimilation or oxidation, and the depth of the nitracline represents a robust spatial boundary between ammonium assimilators and oxidizers in the stratified ocean. Profiles of ammonium utilization show that phytoplankton assemblages in nitrate-depleted regimes have higher ammonium affinity than nitrifiers. In nitrate replete conditions, by contrast, phytoplankton reduce their ammonium reliance and thus enhance the success of nitrifiers. This finding helps to explain existing discrepancies in the understanding of light inhibition of surface nitrification in the global ocean, and provides further insights into the spatial linkages between oceanic nitrification and new production.This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through grants 91328207, Science Fund for Creative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China through grants 41721005 and National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) through grants 2014CB953702, 2015CB954003. T.W.T. was supported by an MEL Visiting Scholar award. 成果获得了国家重点基础研究发展计划（2014CB953702, 2015CB954003），国家自然科学基金委“创新研究群体项目”（41721005）以及重点基金（91328207）的资助

Upper ocean biogeochemistry of the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre : from nutrient sources to carbon export

Subtropical gyres cover 26–29% of the world’s surface ocean and are conventionally regarded as ocean deserts due to their permanent stratification, depleted surface nutrients, and low biological productivity. Despite tremendous advances over the past three decades, particularly through the Hawaii Ocean Time-series and the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study, which have revolutionized our understanding of the biogeochemistry in oligotrophic marine ecosystems, the gyres remain understudied. We review current understanding of upper ocean biogeochemistry in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, considering other subtropical gyres for comparison. We focus our synthesis on spatial variability, which shows larger than expected dynamic ranges of properties such as nutrient concentrations, rates of N2 fixation, and biological production. This review provides new insights into how nutrient sources drive community structure and export in upper subtropical gyres. We examine the euphotic zone in subtropical gyres as a two-layered vertically structured system: a nutrient-depleted layer above the top of the nutricline in the well-lit upper ocean and a nutrient-replete layer below in the dimly lit waters. These layers vary in nutrient supply and stoichiometries and physical forcing, promoting differences in community structure and food webs, with direct impacts on the magnitude and composition of export production. We evaluate long-term variations in key biogeochemical parameters in both of these euphotic zone layers. Finally, we identify major knowledge gaps and research challenges in these vast and unique systems that offer opportunities for future studies

Persistent eutrophication and hypoxia in the coastal ocean

Coastal eutrophication and hypoxia remain a persistent environmental crisis despite the great efforts to reduce nutrient loading and mitigate associated environmental damages. Symptoms of this crisis have appeared to spread rapidly, reaching developing countries in Asia with emergences in Southern America and Africa. The pace of changes and the underlying drivers remain not so clear. To address the gap, we review the up-to-date status and mechanisms of eutrophication and hypoxia in global coastal oceans, upon which we examine the trajectories of changes over the 40 years or longer in six model coastal systems with varying socio-economic development statuses and different levels and histories of eutrophication. Although these coastal systems share common features of eutrophication, site-specific characteristics are also substantial, depending on the regional environmental setting and level of social-economic development along with policy implementation and management. Nevertheless, ecosystem recovery generally needs greater reduction in pressures compared to that initiated degradation and becomes less feasible to achieve past norms with a longer time anthropogenic pressures on the ecosystems. While the qualitative causality between drivers and consequences is well established, quantitative attribution of these drivers to eutrophication and hypoxia remains difficult especially when we consider the social economic drivers because the changes in coastal ecosystems are subject to multiple influences and the cause–effect relationship is often non-linear. Such relationships are further complicated by climate changes that have been accelerating over the past few decades. The knowledge gaps that limit our quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the human-coastal ocean nexus are identified, which is essential for science-based policy making. Recognizing lessons from past management practices, we advocate for a better, more efficient indexing system of coastal eutrophication and an advanced regional earth system modeling framework with optimal modules of human dimensions to facilitate the development and evaluation of effective policy and restoration actions