IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-63604-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stability of the marine nitrogen cycle over the past 165 million years

Author

Listed:
  • Linda V. Godfrey

    (Rutgers University)

  • Anne Willem Omta

    (Case Western Reserve University)

  • Eli Tziperman

    (Harvard University)

  • Xiang Li

    (Peking University)

  • Yongyun Hu

    (Peking University
    Peking University)

  • Paul G. Falkowski

    (Rutgers University
    Rutgers University)

Abstract

Nitrogen and phosphorus are the two macro-nutrients that limit biological productivity in the ocean. While the supply of P depends on geological processes, N is biologically supplied from an inexhaustible atmospheric source, but can be limited by micro-nutrients, especially iron. Here we present a record of N and C isotopes over the past 165 Ma in marine sediments to address feedbacks between the N-cycle and productivity. Over most of the last 165 Myr, the fixed N averaged +3.2‰, (−2 and +9‰), but higher in distal areas of the ocean due to limited vertical mixing. Using an isotope box model and a coupled climate model we show that this is caused by winds that induce upwelling changing due to continental meander. Upwelling along low latitude east-west orientated Tethyan coastlines results in low δ15N, while upwelling along narrow N-S coastlines as it does today, results in high δ15N due to denitrification.

Suggested Citation

  • Linda V. Godfrey & Anne Willem Omta & Eli Tziperman & Xiang Li & Yongyun Hu & Paul G. Falkowski, 2025. "Stability of the marine nitrogen cycle over the past 165 million years," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-63604-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63604-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63604-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-63604-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-63604-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.