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The relative influences of nitrogen and phosphorus on oceanic primary production

Nature volume 400, pages 525–531 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

A simple model has the potential to resolve the long-running debate amongst oceanographers over whether nitrogen or phosphorus exerts overall control on oceanic primary production. A representation of the competition between nitrogen-fixing and other phytoplankton is inserted into a two-box global model of the oceanic nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. Homeostatic regulation of both nitrate and phosphate concentrations results, with surface waters more deficient in nitrate than phosphate in the steady state, but with external phosphate inputs controlling longer-term primary production in the global ocean.

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Figure 1: [NO3−] versus [PO43−] scatter plot from GEOSECS global data set9.
Figure 2: Structure of model.
Figure 3: Nutrient limitation of the two phytoplankton groups in the model.
Figure 4: Results of model runs.

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Acknowledgements

I thank E. Marañón, T. Lenton, A. Martin, D. Wolf-Gladrow, T. Anderson, H.Nanninga, J. Shepherd, P. Holligan, P. Herman, W. Stolte, C. Zonneveld, A. Taylor, A. Watson, L. Partridge, W. Barkmann, S. Smith and R. Toggweiler for discussions and comments on the manuscript, and A. Brice for assistance with computing.

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  1. School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK

    Toby Tyrrell

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Correspondence to Toby Tyrrell.

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Tyrrell, T. The relative influences of nitrogen and phosphorus on oceanic primary production. Nature 400, 525–531 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/22941

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