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Mesoscale eddies cause deviations from the background physical and biogeochemical states of the oligotrophic oceans, but how these perturbations manifest in microbial ecosystem functioning, such as community macromolecular composition or carbon export, remains poorly characterized. We present comparative lipidomes from communities entrained in two eddies of opposite polarities (cyclone–anticyclone) in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG). A previous work on this two-eddy system has shown differences in particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) and biogenic silica sinking fluxes between the two eddies despite comparable total organic carbon fluxes. We measured the striking differences between the lipidomes of suspended and sinking particles that indicate taxon-specific responses to mesoscale perturbations. Specifically, cyanobacteria did not appear to respond to increased concentrations of phosphorus in the subsurface of the cyclonic eddy, while eukaryotic microbes exhibit P-stress relief as reflected in their lipid signatures. Furthermore, we found that two classes of lipids drive differences between suspended and sinking material: sinking particles are comparatively enriched in phosphatidylcholine (PC, a membrane-associated lipid) and triacylglycerol (TAG, an energy storage lipid). We observed significantly greater export of TAGs from the cyclonic eddy as compared to the anticyclone and found that this flux is strongly correlated with the concentration of ballast minerals (PIC and biogenic silica). This increased export of TAGs from the cyclone, but not the anticyclone, suggests that cyclonic eddy perturbations may be a mechanism for the delivery of energy-rich organic material below the euphotic zone.
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This content will become publicly available on February 4, 2026
Nitrogen Biogeochemistry of Adjacent Mesoscale Eddies in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
Abstract We examined the nitrogen (N) biogeochemistry of adjacent cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies near Hawai'i in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) and explored mechanisms that sustain productivity in the cyclone after the initial intensification stage. The top of the nutricline was uplifted into the euphotic zone in the cyclone and depressed in the anticyclone. Subsurface nutrient concentrations and apparent oxygen utilization at the cyclone's inner periphery were higher than expected from isopycnal displacement, suggesting that shallow remineralization of organic material generated excess nutrients in the subsurface. The excess nutrients may provide a supply of subsurface nutrients to sustain productivity in maturing eddies. The shallow remineralization also raises questions regarding the extent to which cyclonic eddies promote deep carbon sequestration in subtropical gyres such as the NPSG. An upward increase in nitrate15N/14N isotope ratios below the euphotic zone, indicative of partial nitrate assimilation, coincided with negative preformed nutrients—potentially signaling heterotrophic bacterial consumption of carbon‐rich (nitrogen‐poor) organic material. The15N/14N of material collected in shallow sediment traps was significantly higher in the cyclone than in the anticyclone and showed correspondence to the15N/14N ratio of the nitrate supply, which is acutely sensitive to sea level anomaly in the region. A number of approaches were applied to estimate the contribution of N2fixation to export production. Results among approaches were inconsistent, which we attribute to non‐steady state conditions during our observation period.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2241005
- PAR ID:
- 10575174
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles
- Volume:
- 39
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0886-6236
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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