Winter convective mixing regulates oceanic C : N : P ratios

Abstract

Recent studies have challenged the validity of the Redfield ratio. It is proposed that physical and biogeochemical processes govern the geographical variations in carbon : nitrogen : phosphorus (C : N : P) ratios. However, this proposal remains to be examined through concurrent observations of C : N : P ratios with physical and biogeochemical processes in various marine reservoirs. Here, we sampled the Arabian Sea for its C, N, and P content in organic and inorganic pools during the winter monsoon. We analyzed the role of convective mixing, eddies, and N₂ fixation to explain the variation in observed elemental ratios. Convective mixing injected the cold water and enhanced the supply of N and P nutrients in the top layer (surface to 50–75 m) of the northern Arabian Sea. This led to a decrease in the N : P and C : P ratios in the particulate organic matter in the northern region, but C : N : P increased equatorward, averaging 245 : 32 : 1 in the top layer of the Arabian Sea. The variation in the elemental ratios in the top layer is best explained by the changes in water temperature. N₂ fixation contributed negligibly to the N : P ratio of the export flux. The substantial decrease in N : P ratios of nutrients in the subsurface waters is most likely caused by the denitrifying conditions in the Arabian Sea. As the processes of convective mixing and eddies are are prevalent oceanic processes, our observations underpin that the interplay of these processes leads to changes in the elemental ratios globally.