Simultaneous assessment of oxygen-and nitrate-based net community production in a temperate shelf sea from a single ocean glider

Tom Hull*, Naomi Greenwood, Antony Birchill, Alexander Beaton, Matthew Palmer, Jan Kaiser

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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    Abstract

    The continental shelf seas are important at a global scale for ecosystem services. These highly dynamic regions are under a wide range of stresses, and as such future management requires appropriate monitoring measures. A key metric to understanding and predicting future change are the rates of biological production. We present here the use of an autonomous underwater glider with an oxygen (O2) and a wet-chemical microfluidic total oxidised nitrogen (NOx-NO3-+NO2-) sensor during a spring bloom as part of a 2019 pilot autonomous shelf sea monitoring study. We find exceptionally high rates of net community production using both O2 and NOxwater column inventory changes, corrected for air-sea gas exchange in case of O2. We compare these rates with 2007 and 2008 mooring observations finding similar rates of NOx-consumption. With these complementary methods we determine the O2:N amount ratio of the newly produced organic matter (7.8g±0.4) and the overall O2:N ratio for the total water column (5.7g±0.4). The former is close to the canonical Redfield O2:N ratio of 8.6g±1.0, whereas the latter may be explained by a combination of new organic matter production and preferential remineralisation of more reduced organic matter at a higher O2:N ratio below the euphotic zone.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)6167-6180
    Number of pages14
    JournalBiogeosciences
    Volume18
    Issue number23
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2021

    Keywords

    • UKRI
    • NERC
    • NE/P013899/1
    • NE/P013902/2
    • NE/P013740/1
    • NE/P013864/1

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