Description: Hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH), a short-lived intermediate in the nitrogen cycle, is a potential precursor of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) in the ocean. However, measurements of NH 2 OH in the ocean are sparse. Here we present a data set of depth profiles of NH 2 OH from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean and the eastern tropical South Pacific and compare it to N 2 O, nitrate, and nitrite profiles under varying oxygen conditions. The presence of NH 2 OH in surface waters points toward surface nitrification in the upper 100 m. Overall, we found a ratio of 1:3 between NH 2 OH and N 2 O in open ocean areas when oxygen concentrations were 〉50 μmol/L. In the equatorial Atlantic Ocean and the open ocean eastern tropical South Pacific, where nitrification is the dominant N 2 O production pathway, stepwise multiple regressions demonstrated that N 2 O, NH 2 OH, and nitrate concentrations were highly correlated, suggesting that NH 2 OH is a potential indicator for nitrification.

Description: Concentration of Hydroxylamine in the water column during Maria S. Merian Cruise MSM18/2. Hydroxylamine was measured as N2O after chemical conversion to N2O by addition of Fe(III). N2O concentrations from hydroxylamine conversion (after subtraction of background N2O) is provided as separate column. The conversion efficiency (recovery factor) was determined for each station by standard addition at one sampling depth. Corresponding background N2O concentrations are available at: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.900984.

Description: Concentration of Hydroxylamine in the water column during Meteor cruise M91. Hydroxylamine was measured as N2O after chemical conversion to N2O by addition of Fe(III). N2O concentrations from hydroxylamine conversion (after subtraction of background N2O) is provided as separate column. The conversion efficiency (recovery factor) was determined for each station by standard addition at one sampling depth. Corresponding background N2O concentrations are available at: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.858178.

Description: Concentration of Hydroxylamine in the water column during Meteor cruise M90. Hydroxylamine was measured as N2O after chemical conversion to N2O by addition of Fe(III). N2O concentrations from hydroxylamine conversion (after subtraction of background N2O) is provided as separate column. The conversion efficiency (recovery factor) was determined for each station by standard addition at one sampling depth. Corresponding background N2O concentrations are available at: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.857760.

Description: Seawater samples for dual isotopes measurements of nitrate (δ15N_NO3 and δ18_NO3) and nitrite (δ15_NO2) were taken from the CTD-rosette. The isotopic composition was measured using the denitrifier method (Casciotti et al., 2002; Sigman et al., 2001).

Description: During two simultaneous cruises in the Central Baltic Sea in July 2007 we applied a 15N tracer addition approach to assess the impact of cyanobacterial N2 fixation on mesozooplankton production in the Central Baltic Sea. We determined rates of diazotrophic 15N2 fixation, as well as uptake of diazotrophic derived 15N by mesozooplankton species. Diazotrophic 15N2 fixation rates were low representing pre-bloom situations. A first order estimate using a two source mixing model of natural δ15N-PON abundance revealed that diazotrophic fixed N contributed to 27 ± 8% to mesozooplankton biomass. Additionally, the application of stable isotope tracer showed that fixed 15N was detectable in the mesozooplankton fraction within 1 h after the onset of the incubation. On a daily basis, 5% up to 100% of newly fixed 15N and 14% of cyanobacteria standing stock were incorporated by mesozooplankton species in our experimental set-ups. By applying size fractionating experiments and the usage of different control treatments, we calculated that the majority of 15N transfer (67%) was mediated by the release of nitrogenous compounds and their channelling through the microbial loop towards the mesozooplankton community. Moreover, direct grazing on filamentous cyanobacteria accounted for 33% of gross 15N incorporation. Grazing in the experiments seemed to be largely influenced by cyanobacterial species dominating the community and by the abundance of Cladoceran species like Evadne. Overall, N2 fixing cyanobacteria are ecological more important as instantaneous sources of nitrogen for higher trophic levels of the Baltic Sea food web than previously assumed.

Description: Nitrate (NO3-) is the major nutrient responsible for coastal eutrophication worldwide and its production is related to intensive food production and fossil-fuel combustion. In the Baltic Sea NO3- inputs have increased 4-fold over recent decades and now remain constantly high. NO3- source identification is therefore an important consideration in environmental management strategies. In this study focusing on the Baltic Sea, we used a method to estimate the proportional contributions of NO3- from atmospheric deposition, N-2 fixation, and runoff from pristine soils as well as from agricultural land. Our approach combines data on the dual isotopes of NO3- (delta N-15-NO3- and delta O-18-NO3-) in winter surface waters with a Bayesian isotope mixing model (Stable Isotope Analysis in R, SIAR). Based on data gathered from 47 sampling locations over the entire Baltic Sea, the majority of the NO3- in the southern Baltic was shown to derive from runoff from agricultural land (33-100 %), whereas in the northern Baltic, i.e. the Gulf of Bothnia, NO3- originates from nitrification in pristine soils (34-100 %). Atmospheric deposition accounts for only a small percentage of NO3- levels in the Baltic Sea, except for contributions from northern rivers, where the levels of atmospheric NO3- are higher. An additional important source in the central Baltic Sea is N-2 fixation by diazotrophs, which contributes 49-65% of the overall NO3- pool at this site. The results obtained with this method are in good agreement with source estimates based upon delta N-15 values in sediments and a three-dimensional ecosystem model, ERGOM. We suggest that this approach can be easily modified to determine NO3- sources in other marginal seas or larger near-coastal areas where NO3- is abundant in winter surface waters when fractionation processes are minor.

Description: Hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH), a short-lived intermediate in the nitrogen cycle, is a potential precursor of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) in the ocean. However, measurements of NH 2 OH in the ocean are sparse. Here we present a data set of depth profiles of NH 2 OH from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean and the eastern tropical South Pacific and compare it to N 2 O, nitrate, and nitrite profiles under varying oxygen conditions. The presence of NH 2 OH in surface waters points toward surface nitrification in the upper 100 m. Overall, we found a ratio of 1:3 between NH 2 OH and N 2 O in open ocean areas when oxygen concentrations were 〉50 μmol/L. In the equatorial Atlantic Ocean and the open ocean eastern tropical South Pacific, where nitrification is the dominant N 2 O production pathway, stepwise multiple regressions demonstrated that N 2 O, NH 2 OH, and nitrate concentrations were highly correlated, suggesting that NH 2 OH is a potential indicator for nitrification.

Description: Benthic nitrogen cycling in the Mauritanian upwelling region (NW Africa) was studied in June 2014 from the shelf to the upper slope where minimum bottom water O 2 concentrations of 25 µM were recorded. Benthic incubation chambers were deployed at 9 stations to measure fluxes of O 2 , dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and nutrients (NO 3 - , NO 2 - , NH 4 + , PO 4 3- , H 4 SiO 4 ) along with the N and O isotopic composition of nitrate (δ 15 N-NO 3 - and δ 18 O-NO 3 - ) and ammonium (δ 15 N-NH 4 + ). O 2 and DIC fluxes were similar to those measured during a previous campaign in 2011 whereas NH 4 + and PO 4 3- fluxes on the shelf were 2 – 3 times higher and possibly linked to a long-term decline in bottom water O 2 concentrations. The mean isotopic fractionation of NO 3 - uptake on the margin, inferred from the loss of NO 3 - inside the chambers, was 1.5 ± 0.4 ‰ for 15/14 N ( 15 ϵ app ) and 2.0 ± 0.5 ‰ for 18/16 O ( 18 ϵ app ). The mean 18 ϵ app : 15 ϵ app ratio on the shelf (〈 100 m) was 2.1 ± 0.3, and higher than the value of 1 expected for microbial NO 3 - reduction. The 15 ϵ app are similar to previously reported isotope effects for NO 3 - respiration in marine sediments but lower than determined in 2011 at a same site on the shelf. The sediments were also a source of 15 N-enriched NH 4 + (9.0 ± 0.7 ‰). A numerical model tuned to the benthic flux data and that specifically accounts for the efflux of 15 N-enriched NH 4 + from the seafloor, predicted a net benthic isotope effect of N loss ( 15 ϵ sed ) of 3.6 ‰; far above the more widely considered value of ~0‰. This result is further evidence that the assumption of a universally low or negligible benthic N isotope effect is not applicable to oxygen-deficient settings. The model further suggests that 18 ϵ app : 15 ϵ app trajectories > 1 in the benthic chambers are most likely due to aerobic ammonium oxidation and nitrite oxidation in surface sediments rather than anammox, in agreement with published observations in the water column of oxygen deficient regions.