title: Chemical oceanography. Increasing anthropogenic nitrogen in the North Pacific Ocean.
abstract: The recent increase in anthropogenic emissions of reactive nitrogen from northeastern Asia and the subsequent enhanced deposition over the extensive regions of the North Pacific Ocean (NPO) have led to a detectable increase in the nitrate (N) concentration of the upper ocean. The rate of increase of excess N relative to phosphate (P) was found to be highest (~0.24 micromoles per kilogram per year) in the vicinity of the Asian source continent, with rates decreasing eastward across the NPO, consistent with the magnitude and distribution of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. This anthropogenically driven increase in the N content of the upper NPO may enhance primary production in this N-limited region, potentially leading to a long-term change of the NPO from being N-limited to P-limited.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 790-784, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Il-Nam
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 790-784, Republic of Korea. ktl@postech.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kitack
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Environmental Physics Group, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.affiliation: Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1950 East West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Karl
authors.affiliation: Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Seattle, WA 98115, USA.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bullister
authors.affiliation: Environmental Physics Group, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Ocean Circulation and Climate Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ansan, 426-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-Wook
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D006801:Humans; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010710:Phosphates / Q000032:analysis; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D010710:Phosphates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D009584:Nitrogen