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Although the Arctic Ocean is small, its shallow shelves and highly productive coastal waters make it an important component of global biogeochemical cycling, especially of nitrogen (N). Because inorganic forms of dissolved N exist in so many different oxidation states, the cycling of N can be quite complex. In this review, we describe the current understanding of the major conduits bringing N into Arctic surface waters as well as the key physical and biological processes that are responsible for the transformation from one form of N to another. We also discuss the environmental factors that are currently controlling these transformations and how this may change in a future Arctic. Plain Language Summary: Nitrogen is the key element limiting the rate of growth of phytoplankton in many parts of the global ocean. Nowhere is this more true than in the shallow waters of the Arctic Ocean. This review describes the cycling of nitrogen within the Arctic Ocean. It includes the key processes controlling the distribution of nitrogen within the water column and sediments and the environmental factors that control these processes. Key Points: The land‐locked and shallow nature of the Arctic Ocean make it unique among the major ocean basins of the worldThe shallow shelves of the Arctic Ocean are the site of important biological transformations within the nitrogen cycleOngoing environmental changes may result in significant alterations of the Arctic nitrogen cycle and its role in global biogeochemistry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The California Current System (CCS) is expected to experience the ecological impacts of ocean acidification (OA) earlier than most other ocean regions because coastal upwelling brings old, CO2-rich water relatively close to the surface ocean. Historical inorganic carbon measurements are scarce, so the progression of OA in the CCS is unknown. We used a multiple linear regression approach to generate empirical models using oxygen (O 2), temperature (T), salinity (S), and sigma theta (sq) as proxy variables to reconstruct pH, carbonate saturation states, carbonate ion concentration ([CO32-]), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration, and total alkalinity (TA) in the southern CCS. The calibration data included high-quality measurements of carbon, oxygen, and other hydrographic variables, collected during a cruise from British Columbia to Baja California in May-June 2007. All resulting empirical relationships were robust, with r2 values >0.92 and low root mean square errors. Estimated and measured carbon chemistry matched very well for independent data sets from the CalCOFI and IMECOCAL programs. Reconstructed CCS pH and saturation states for 2005-2011 reveal a pronounced seasonal cycle and inter-annual variability in the upper water column. Deeper in the water column, conditions are stable throughout the annual cycle, with perennially low pH and saturation states. Over sub-decadal time scales, these empirical models provide a valuable tool for reconstructing carbonate chemistry related to ocean acidification where direct observations are limited. However, progressive increases in anthropogenic CO2 content of southern CCS water masses must be carefully addressed to apply the models over longer time scales. © Copyright 2012 by the American Geophysical Union.

Rates of net community production (NCP) and air-sea CO2 flux in me Northeast Pacific subarctic, transition zone and subtropical regions (22°N-50°N, 145°W-152°W) were determined on a cruise in August-September 2008 by continuous measurement of surface values of the ratio of dissolved oxygen to argon (O2/Ar) and the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). These estimates were compared with simultaneous measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a (chl-a), flow cytometry, and discrete surface nutrient concentrations. NCP and CO2 influx were greatest in the subarctic (45°N-50°N, 25.8 ± 4.6 and 4.1 ± 0.9 mmol C m-2 d-1) and northern transition zone (40°N-45°N, 17.1 ± 4.4 and 2.1 ± 0.5 mmol C m-2 d-1), with mean NCP ∼6-8× greater than mean CO2 invasion (error estimates reflect 1 σ confidence intervals). Contrastingly, the southern transition zone (32°N-40°N) and subtropics (22°N-32°N) had lower mean NCP (5.4 ± 1.8 and 8.1 ± 2.1 mmol C m-2 d-1, respectively) and mean CO2 efflux (3.0 ± 0.5 and 0.1 ± 0.0 mmol C m-2 d-1, respectively). In the subarctic and transition zone, NCP was highly correlated with surface chl-a and CO2 influx, indicating strong coupling between the biological pump and CO2 uptake. Meridional trends in our NCP estimates in the transition zone and subtropics were similar to those for integrated summertime NCP along the cruise track determined using an upper ocean climatological carbon budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the coastal ocean on global net annual air-sea CO2 fluxes remains uncertain. However, it is well known that air-sea pCO2 disequilibria can be large (ocean pCO2 ranging from ∼400 µatm above atmospheric saturation to ∼250 µatm below) in eastern boundary currents, and it has been hypothesized that these regions may be an appreciable net carbon sink. In addition it has been shown that the high productivity in these regions (responsible for the exceptionally low surface pCO2) can cause nutrients and inorganic carbon to become more concentrated in the lower layer of the water column over the shelf relative to adjacent open ocean waters of the same density. This paper explores the potential role of the winter season in determining the net annual CO2 flux in temperate zone eastern boundary currents, using the results from a box model. The model is parameterized and forced to represent the northernmost part of the upwelling region on the North American Pacific coast. Model results are compared to the few summer data that exist in that region. The model is also used to determine the effect that upwelling and downwelling strength have on the net annual CO2 flux. Results show that downwelling may play an important role in limiting the amount of CO2 outgassing that occurs during winter. Finally data from three distinct regions on the Pacific coast are compared to highlight the importance of upwelling and downwelling strength in determining carbon fluxes in eastern boundary currents and to suggest that other features, such as shelf width, are likely to be important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]