Nitrous oxide distributions in the oxygenated water column of the Sargasso Sea

Abstract

This study presents dissolved nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations in the water column at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) station and uses a subset of these measurements to estimate air-to-sea flux for four specific time points between September 2018 and June 2019. N2O concentrations at BATS were in the range of 4.0 nmol L−1-16.9 nmol L−1, with vertical profiles which were the mirror inverse of dissolved oxygen. Regardless of season, N2O concentration maxima were found within the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). The highest maximum N2O values were observed in November and lowest in October. As the water column at BATS remains consistently at dissolved oxygen concentrations greater than 140 µmol L−1, and therefore aerobic, we assume that the bulk of N2O production occurs through nitrification. A nitrification source is supported by a correlation between excess N2O (ΔN2O) below the mixed layer, apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) and nitrate concentrations. We estimate a pooled average yield of 0.027% to 0.038% N2O from nitrification at BATS. Finally, estimates of air-sea exchange of N2O using regional average monthly wind speeds indicated that this region acts as a weak source or a sink of atmospheric N2O, and varies between months.