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Basin-scale distribution of NH4 + and NO2 − in the Pacific Ocean

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Abstract

We used more than 25,000 nutrient samples to elucidate for the first time basin-scale distributions and seasonal changes of surface ammonium (NH4 +) and nitrite (NO2 −) concentrations in the Pacific Ocean. The highest NH4 +, NO2 −, and nitrate (NO3 −) concentrations were observed north of 40°N, in the coastal upwelling region off the coast of Mexico, and in the Tasman Sea. NH4 + concentrations were elevated during May–October in the western subarctic North Pacific, May–December in the eastern subarctic North Pacific, and June–September in the subtropical South Pacific. NO2 − concentrations were highest in winter in both hemispheres. The seasonal cycle of NH4 + was synchronous with NO2 −, NO3 −, and satellite chlorophyll a concentrations in the western subtropical South Pacific, whereas it was synchronous with chlorophyll-a but out of phase with NO2 − and NO3 − in the subarctic regions.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the many people at each institute for measuring, arranging, and archiving nutrient concentration data. Data collected by JMA, JAMSTEC, CalCOFI, and PANGAEA are available online (http://www.data.jma.go.jp/gmd/kaiyou/db/vessel_obs/data-report/html/ship/efile_NoS2_e.html; http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/e; http://new.data.calcofi.org/index.php; http://www.pangaea.de/). The NIES, FRA, and U-Tokyo nutrient data are available from the authors upon request (nakaoka.shinichiro@nies.go.jp; takekodama@affrc.go.jp). This work was financially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (JP24121007), and the Global Environment Research Account for National Institutes by the Ministry of Environment, Japan. We appreciate two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments on this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan

    Sayaka Yasunaka, Taketo Hashioka, Chisato Yoshikawa, Sanae Chiba, Masahide Wakita, Akihiko Murata, Hiroshi Uchida & Michio Aoyama

  2. National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan

    Yukihiro Nojiri & Shin-ichiro Nakaoka

  3. Japan Sea National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 1-5939-22 Suido-cho, Chuou-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-8121, Japan

    Taketoshi Kodama

  4. Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8477, Japan

    Fuminori Hashihama

  5. University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Ken Furuya

  6. Meteorological Research Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency, 1-1, Nagamine, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0052, Japan

    Daisuke Sasano

  7. Fukushima University, 1, Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 960-1248, Japan

    Michio Aoyama

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  1. Sayaka Yasunaka
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  2. Yukihiro Nojiri
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  3. Taketo Hashioka
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  4. Chisato Yoshikawa
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  9. Masahide Wakita
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  14. Michio Aoyama
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Correspondence to Sayaka Yasunaka.

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Yasunaka, S., Nojiri, Y., Hashioka, T. et al. Basin-scale distribution of NH4 + and NO2 − in the Pacific Ocean. J Oceanogr 74, 1–11 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-017-0433-1

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