Our understanding of the global marine xed nitrogen budget has undergone rapid
growth, and as a result there is debate as to whether or not it is balanced. The
Arctic plays a disproportionately large role in the sink terms of this budget. This
paper works to understand the role of the Canada Basin in the nitrogen cycle. We
utilize two tracers of denitri cation: N2/Ar, a dissolved gas tracer, and N*, a nutrient
ratio tracer. We aim to quantify the current state of nitrogen cycling in the Canada Basin, and determine its role in the global cycle. Our paired tracer method provides
support for shelf denitri cation rates while providing an estimate of ventilation in
the same water mass, and provides an estimate for deep benthic denitri cation rates.
We observe a disconnect between N2/Ar and N* in the Paci c Upper Halocline Layer
(PUHL), wherein the excess N2/Ar we expect from N* is nearly 250% larger than
the excess we observe. Our calculations suggest that an approximate steady state
between benthic denitri cation and gas exchange on the Chukchi shelf maintains
this disconnect. Our measurements of the PUHL support the shelf denitri cation
rates reported from direct measurements, and can predict wind speeds required for
ventilation within a factor of two. A 1D diffusion model of the old deep waters of the
Canada Basin supports benthic denitri cation rates of 0.095-0.15 Tg N y-1. Benthic
denitri cation rates determined from the model are on the low end of rates in other
deep basins. Our results suggest additional measurements of these tracers in the
Canada Basin and surrounding areas would help to constrain both the physical and
biological processes controlling nitrogen cycling. / Graduate / 0425 / jen.l.reeve@gmail.com
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/7743 |
| Date | 16 January 2017 |
| Creators | Reeve, Jennifer L. |
| Contributors | Hamme, Roberta Claire |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/ |
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