dc.contributor.author | Al-Haj, Alia | |
dc.contributor.author | Church, Matthew J. | |
dc.contributor.author | van Dijken, Gert L. | |
dc.contributor.author | Foster, Sarah Q. | |
dc.contributor.author | Fulweiler, Robinson W. | |
dc.contributor.author | Mills, Matthew M. | |
dc.contributor.author | Zakem, Emily Juliette | |
dc.contributor.author | Dutkiewicz, Stephanie | |
dc.contributor.author | Follows, Michael J | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2018-10-03T15:44:15Z | |
dc.date.available | 2018-10-03T15:44:15Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2018-03 | |
dc.date.submitted | 2017-10 | |
dc.identifier.issn | 2041-1723 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/118340 | |
dc.description.abstract | Microorganisms 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.sponsorship | Simons Foundation (Award 329108) | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant GBMF3778) | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant OCE-1315201) | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant OCE-1558702) | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 1434007) | en_US |
dc.publisher | Nature Publishing Group | en_US |
dc.relation.isversionof | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/S41467-018-03553-W | en_US |
dc.rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License | en_US |
dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | en_US |
dc.source | Nature | en_US |
dc.title | Ecological control of nitrite in the upper ocean | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Zakem, 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.department | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences | en_US |
dc.contributor.mitauthor | Zakem, Emily Juliette | |
dc.contributor.mitauthor | Dutkiewicz, Stephanie | |
dc.contributor.mitauthor | Follows, Michael J | |
dc.relation.journal | Nature Communications | en_US |
dc.eprint.version | Final published version | en_US |
dc.type.uri | http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle | en_US |
eprint.status | http://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerReviewed | en_US |
dc.date.updated | 2018-09-24T17:00:13Z | |
dspace.orderedauthors | Zakem, 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.terms | N | en_US |
dc.identifier.orcid | https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6799-5063 | |
dc.identifier.orcid | https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3102-0341 | |
mit.license | PUBLISHER_CC | en_US |