Submarine Groundwater Discharge as a Source of Nutrients to the North Pacific and Arctic Coastal Ocean

Authors

Alanna L. Lecher, Lynn UniversityFollow
Chia-Te Chien (0000-0002-0461-2851), University of California, Santa Cruz
Adina Paytan (0000-0001-8360-4712), University of California, Santa Cruz

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-20-2016

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2016.09.008

Abstract

Primary productivity in both the Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) is nitrogen limited in the summer when light limitation is relieved, and stratification in the GOA inhibits nutrient fluxes from deep water sources. Concentrations of nutrients and trace metals in these regions are higher closer to shore, and thus rivers have been attributed as the primary coastal source of nutrients and trace metals. Here we evaluate the role of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD), a previously unquantified source of nutrients and trace metals to the coastal Arctic Ocean and GOA. SGD is an especially enriched in nitrate relative to other nutrients, contributing 1.2 ± 0.4 mol NO3 day− 1 m− 1 of shoreline of the Arctic Ocean. In the GOA, both SGD-associated nitrate flux (4.3 ± 2.1 NO3 day− 1 m− 1 of shoreline) and silicate flux (13 ± 6 SiO4 day− 1 m− 1 of shoreline), are substantial when compared to other external nutrient sources. Conservative extrapolations indicate overall SGD supplies more nitrate (1.5–17.5 times) to the GOA than rivers.

Publication

Marine Chemistry

Volume

186

Pages

167-177

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Comments

Received 19 May 2016, Revised 30 August 2016, Accepted 22 September 2016, Available online 23 September 2016.

Recommended Citation

Lecher, A., Paytan, A. & Chien, C. (2016). Submarine groundwater discharge as a source of nutrients to the North Pacific and Arctic coastal ocean. Marine Chemistry, 186, 167–177. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2016.09.008.