Contrasting Nitrogen Fixation Between Arctic and Atlantic Waters in the Fram Strait.

ABSTRACT: Nitrogen availability limits primary production in the Arctic Ocean, making it vital to understand its sources and sinks to predict future productivity. Although nitrogen fixation has been reported in the Arctic Ocean, data remain scarce, especially in the Atlantic sector. Here, we measured nitrogen fixation rates and examined diazotroph community composition across the Fram Strait, targeting Polar waters in the East Greenland Current, Atlantic waters in the West Spitsbergen Current, and their frontal zone. Nitrogen fixation was mainly low (< 1 nmol N L^-1 d^-1) in Polar waters, however, elevated at the one station in the Atlantic water sector (up to 10.15 nmol N L^-1 d^-1). Rates were only detectable in the epipelagic layer (0-100 m) across the stra

SUBMITTER: Zander S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12804294 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature