Nitrogen fixation under declining Arctic sea ice
With climate change-induced sea ice decline in the Arctic Ocean, nitrogen is expected to become an increasingly important determinant of primary productivity. Nitrogen fixation is the conversion of molecular nitrogen to bioavailable ammonium by microorganisms called diazotrophs. Here, we report nitrogen fixation rates, diazotroph composition, and expression under different stages of declining sea ice in the Central Arctic Ocean (multiyear ice, five stations) and the Eurasian Arctic (marginal ice zone, seven stations). Nitrogen fixation in the Central Arctic Ocean was positively correlated with primary production, ranging from 0.4 ± 0.1 to 2.5 ± 0.87 nmol N L<sup>-1</sup> d<sup>-1</sup>. Along two transects across the marginal ice zone, nitrogen fixation varied between days and ice regime from below detection up to 5.3 ± 3.65 nmol N L<sup>-1</sup> d<sup>-1</sup> associated with an ice-edge phytoplankton bloom. We show nitrogen fixation in sea ice-covered waters of the Arctic Ocean and provide insight into present and active non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs in the region.
Authors
- Mar Benavides (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9502-108X)
- Sinhué Torres‐Valdés (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2749-4170)
- Lisa W. von Friesen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2995-2542)
- Olivier Grosso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6443-4006)
- Pauline Snoeijs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4544-2668)
- Stefan Bertilsson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4265-1835)
- Lasse Riemann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9207-2543)
- Ilka Peeken (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1531-1664)
- Hanna Farnelid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3083-7437)
- Marcus Sundbom (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1713-8439)
- Wilken‐Jon von Appen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7200-0099)
- Christien P. Laber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3017-0241)
- Johanna Schüttler
Institutions
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Université de Toulon (FR)
- Stockholm University (SE)
- National Oceanography Centre (GB)
- Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
- Linnaeus University (SE)
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE)
- Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (NO)
- Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (DE)
- GlaxoSmithKline (Sweden) (SE)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Published
- 2025-10-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02782-4
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.58
Funders
- Polarforskningssekretariatet
- Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas
- BNP Paribas Cardif
- Vetenskapsrådet
- Linnéuniversitetet
- Fondation BNP Paribas