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dc.contributor.authorAl-Haj, Alia
dc.contributor.authorChurch, Matthew J.
dc.contributor.authorvan Dijken, Gert L.
dc.contributor.authorFoster, Sarah Q.
dc.contributor.authorFulweiler, Robinson W.
dc.contributor.authorMills, Matthew M.
dc.contributor.authorZakem, Emily Juliette
dc.contributor.authorDutkiewicz, Stephanie
dc.contributor.authorFollows, Michael J
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-03T15:44:15Z
dc.date.available2018-10-03T15:44:15Z
dc.date.issued2018-03
dc.date.submitted2017-10
dc.identifier.issn2041-1723
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/118340
dc.description.abstractMicroorganisms oxidize organic nitrogen to nitrate in a series of steps. Nitrite, an intermediate product, accumulates at the base of the sunlit layer in the subtropical ocean, forming a primary nitrite maximum, but can accumulate throughout the sunlit layer at higher latitudes. We model nitrifying chemoautotrophs in a marine ecosystem and demonstrate that microbial community interactions can explain the nitrite distributions. Our theoretical framework proposes that nitrite can accumulate to a higher concentration than ammonium because of differences in underlying redox chemistry and cell size between ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing chemoautotrophs. Using ocean circulation models, we demonstrate that nitrifying microorganisms are excluded in the sunlit layer when phytoplankton are nitrogen-limited, but thrive at depth when phytoplankton become light-limited, resulting in nitrite accumulation there. However, nitrifying microorganisms may coexist in the sunlit layer when phytoplankton are iron- or light-limited (often in higher latitudes). These results improve understanding of the controls on nitrification, and provide a framework for representing chemoautotrophs and their biogeochemical effects in ocean models.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipSimons Foundation (Award 329108)en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipGordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant GBMF3778)en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant OCE-1315201)en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant OCE-1558702)en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 1434007)en_US
dc.publisherNature Publishing Groupen_US
dc.relation.isversionofhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/S41467-018-03553-Wen_US
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licenseen_US
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.sourceNatureen_US
dc.titleEcological control of nitrite in the upper oceanen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.citationZakem, Emily J. et al. “Ecological Control of Nitrite in the Upper Ocean.” Nature Communications 9, 1 (March 2018): 1206 © 2018 The Author(s)en_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciencesen_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorZakem, Emily Juliette
dc.contributor.mitauthorDutkiewicz, Stephanie
dc.contributor.mitauthorFollows, Michael J
dc.relation.journalNature Communicationsen_US
dc.eprint.versionFinal published versionen_US
dc.type.urihttp://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticleen_US
eprint.statushttp://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerRevieweden_US
dc.date.updated2018-09-24T17:00:13Z
dspace.orderedauthorsZakem, Emily J.; Al-Haj, Alia; Church, Matthew J.; van Dijken, Gert L.; Dutkiewicz, Stephanie; Foster, Sarah Q.; Fulweiler, Robinson W.; Mills, Matthew M.; Follows, Michael J.en_US
dspace.embargo.termsNen_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6799-5063
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3102-0341
mit.licensePUBLISHER_CCen_US


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