Enhanced Ammonia Oxidation Caused by Lateral Kuroshio Intrusion in the Boundary Zone of the Northern South China Sea

Abstract

Abstract Lateral input of dissolved organics may play a significant role to support productivity in oligotrophic ocean although associated biogeochemical evidences are lacking in the field. Ammonia oxidation (AO), the first step of nitrification that bridges organic remineralization and nitrate, is potentially an immediate responder. By using 15 N‐NH 4 + , the spatial distribution of AO was investigated in the northern South China Sea, where Kuroshio Current intrudes frequently. AO ranged widely (0.001 to 134 nmol · L −1 · day −1 ) in space and the depth‐integrated (200 m) AO peaked where the Kuroshio influence is moderate suggesting that enhanced AO had occurred due to lateral mixing. Since oligotrophic Kuroshio is characterized by high dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), such lateral mixing not only introduces external DON into the northern South China Sea but also enhances NH 4 + regeneration and subsequent oxidation to complicate the conventional new production in the boundary zone with DON gradient.