Nitrogen and Phosphorus Budgets in the Northwestern Mediterranean Deep Convection Region
Type | Article | ||||||||||||||||
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Date | 2017-12 | ||||||||||||||||
Language | English | ||||||||||||||||
Author(s) | Kessouri Faycal1, 2, 3, Ulses Caroline1, Estournel Claude1, Marsaleix Patrick1, Severin Tatiana4, Pujo-Pay Mireille5, Caparros Jocelyne5, Raimbault Patrick6, de Fommervault Orens Pasqueron7, 8, D'Ortenzio Fabrizio7, 8, Taillandier Vincent7, 8, Testor Pierre9, Conan Pascal5 | ||||||||||||||||
Affiliation(s) | 1 : Univ Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Lab Aerol, Toulouse, France. 2 : Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Atmospher & Ocean Sci, Los Angeles, CA USA. 3 : Southern Calif Coastal Water Res Project, Dept Biogeochem, Costa Mesa, CA USA. 4 : Univ Texas Austin, Marine Sci Inst, Port Aransas, TX USA. 5 : Lab Oceanog Microbienne, Banyuls Sur Mer, France. 6 : Inst Mediterraneen Oceanol, Mareille, France. 7 : UPMC Univ Paris 06, Sorbonne Univ, Villefranche Sur Mer, France. 8 : CNRS UMR 7093, LOV, Observ Oceanol, Villefranche Sur Mer, France. 9 : CNRS LOCEAN, Paris, France. |
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Source | Journal Of Geophysical Research-oceans (2169-9275) (Amer Geophysical Union), 2017-12 , Vol. 122 , N. 12 , P. 9429-9454 | ||||||||||||||||
DOI | 10.1002/2016JC012665 | ||||||||||||||||
WOS© Times Cited | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
Keyword(s) | Mediterranean Sea, physical-biogeochemical modeling, nutrient seasonal dynamics, nitrate and phosphate budget, N:P stoichiometry | ||||||||||||||||
Abstract | The aim of this study is to understand the biogeochemical cycles of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (NW Med), where a recurrent spring bloom related to dense water formation occurs. We used a coupled physical-biogeochemical model at high resolution to simulate realistic one-year period and analyze the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles. First, the model was evaluated using cruises carried out in winter, spring and summer and a Bio-Argo float deployed in spring. Then, the annual cycle of meteorological and hydrodynamical forcing and nutrients stocks in the upper layer were analyzed. Third, the effect of biogeochemical and physical processes on N and P was quantified. Fourth, we quantified the effects of the physical and biological processes on the seasonal changes of the molar NO3:PO4 ratio, particularly high compared to the global ocean. The deep convection reduced the NO3:PO4 ratio of upper waters, but consumption by phytoplankton increased it. Finally, N and P budgets were estimated. At the annual scale, this area constituted a sink of inorganic and a source of organic N and P for the peripheral area. NO3 and PO4 were horizontally advected from the peripheral regions into the intermediate waters (130-800 m) of the deep convection area, while organic matter was exported throughout the whole water column toward the surrounding areas. The annual budget suggests that the NW Med deep convection constitutes a major source of nutrients for the photic zone of the Mediterranean Sea. |
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