Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-194
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-194
24 May 2023
 | 24 May 2023
Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal ESSD.

Database of nitrification and nitrifiers in the global ocean

Weiyi Tang, Bess B. Ward, Michael Beman, Laura Bristow, Darren Clark, Sarah Fawcett, Claudia Frey, Francois Fripiat, Gerhard J. Herndl, Mhlangabezi Mdutyana, Fabien Paulot, Xuefeng Peng, Alyson E. Santoro, Takuhei Shiozaki, Eva Sintes, Charles Stock, Xin Sun, Xianhui S. Wan, Min N. Xu, and Yao Zhang

Abstract. As a key biogeochemical pathway in the marine nitrogen cycle, nitrification (ammonia oxidation and nitrite oxidation) converts the most reduced form of nitrogen – ammonium/ammonia (NH4+/ NH3) into the oxidized species nitrite (NO2) and nitrate (NO3). In the ocean, these processes are mainly performed by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). By transforming nitrogen speciation and providing substrates for nitrogen removal, nitrification affects microbial community structure, marine productivity (including chemoautotrophic carbon fixation) and the production of a powerful greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrification is hypothesized to be regulated by temperature, oxygen, light, substrate concentration, substrate flux, pH, and other environmental factors. Although the number of field observations from various oceanic regions has increased considerably over the last few decades, a global synthesis is lacking, and understanding how environmental factors control nitrification remains elusive. Therefore, we have compiled a database of nitrification rates and nitrifier abundance in the global ocean from published literature and unpublished datasets. This database includes 2393 and 1006 measurements of ammonia oxidation and nitrite oxidation rates, and 2187 and 631 quantifications of ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers, respectively. This community effort confirms and enhances our understanding of the spatial distribution of nitrification and nitrifiers, and their corresponding drivers such as the important role of substrate concentration in controlling nitrification rates and nitrifier abundance. Some conundrums are also revealed including the inconsistent observations of light limitation and high rates of nitrite oxidation reported from anoxic waters. This database can be used to constrain the distribution of marine nitrification, to evaluate and improve biogeochemical models of nitrification, and to quantify the impact of nitrification on ecosystem functions like marine productivity and N2O production. This database additionally sets a baseline for comparison with future observations and guides future exploration (e.g., measurements in the poorly sampled regions such as the Indian Ocean; method comparison/standardization). The database is publicly available at Zenodo repository: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7942922 (Tang et al., 2023).

Weiyi Tang et al.

Status: open (until 19 Jul 2023)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse

Weiyi Tang et al.

Data sets

Database of nitrification and nitrifiers in the global ocean Weiyi Tang, Bess Ward, Michael Beman, Laura Bristow, Darren Clark, Sarah Fawcett, Claudia Frey, Francois Fripiat, Gerhard Herndl, Mhlangabezi Mdutyana, Fabien Paulot, Xuefeng Peng, Alyson Santoro, Takuhei Shiozaki, Eva Sintes, Charles Stock, Xin Sun, Xianhui Wan, Min Xu, and Yao Zhang https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7942922

Weiyi Tang et al.

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Short summary
Nitrification and nitrifiers play an important role in marine nitrogen and carbon cycles by converting ammonium to nitrite and nitrate. Nitrification could affect microbial community structure, marine productivity and the production of nitrous oxide - a powerful greenhouse gas. We introduce the newly constructed database of nitrification and nitrifiers in the marine water column and guide future research efforts in field observations and model development of nitrification.