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Upward transport of oceanic nitrate by migrating diatom mats

Naturevolume 397, pages423–425 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

The oligotrophic gyres of the open sea are home to a flora that includes the largest known phytoplankton. These rare species migrate as solitary cells or aggregations (mats) between deep nutrient pools (below 80–100 m) and the surface. This migration contributes to new production because of the concomitant upward transport of nitrate1,2,3. But just how significant this contribution is remains uncertain because of the difficulty of making quantitative measurements of these rare cells4. Here we report remote video observations of a previously undersampled class of diatom (Rhizosolenia) mats throughout the upper 150 m of the central North Pacific Ocean. These mats are virtually invisible to divers, and their presence increases the calculated phytoplankton-mediated nitrate transport into the surface ocean by up to a factor of eight. Cruise averages indicate thatRhizosolenia mats transport 18–97 µmol N m−2 d−1; however, this value reached 171 μmol N m−2 d−1 at individual stations, a value equivalent to 59% of the export production5. Although considerable temporal and spatial variability occurs, this means of upward nutrient transport appears to be an important source of new nitrogen to the surface ocean, and may contribute to other regional elemental cycles as well6.

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Figure 1: Nutrient profiles from the VPR stations.
Figure 2:Rhizosolenia mat abundance estimates based on VPR measurements and reports from divers.

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Acknowledgements

We thank L. Joseph, A. Mansfield, C. L. De La Rocha, R. Shipe, W. Golden, S.Gallager, C. Lehmann and C. Darkangelo for providing diving and technical support. This work was supported by the NSF.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Science Institute, The University of Texas, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, Austin, 78373, Texas, USA

    Tracy A. Villareal

  2. School of Marine Sciences, 5741 Libby Hall, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, USA

    Cynthia Pilskaln

  3. Marine Science Institute and Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 93106, California, USA

    Mark Brzezinski

  4. Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc., 17 Biological Station Lane, Ferry Reach, GE01, Bermuda

    Fredric Lipschultz

  5. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Mark Dennett

  6. Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Sciences Program, University of Massachusetts, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, 02125, Massachusetts, USA

    George B. Gardner

Authors
  1. Tracy A. Villareal

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  2. Cynthia Pilskaln

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  3. Mark Brzezinski

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  4. Fredric Lipschultz

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  5. Mark Dennett

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  6. George B. Gardner

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Corresponding author

Correspondence toTracy A. Villareal.

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Villareal, T., Pilskaln, C., Brzezinski, M.et al. Upward transport of oceanic nitrate by migrating diatom mats.Nature397, 423–425 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/17103

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