Oxygen and nitrogen isotopic composition of nitrate in the Antarctic ice-edge, sea-ice and underlying seawater data collected during the SIPEX II voyage of the Aurora Australis, 2012

Brief description

Overview of the project and objectives: To investigate whether nitrate uptake and processes other than nitrate uptake by phytoplankton are significant and show spatial variability possibly induced by varying availability of Fe and other parameters in the region, seawater was collected from CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth) and TMR (Trace Metals Rosette) casts jointly with the nutrient sampling, as well as well as sea-ice collected from Bio ice-core types on Ice Station, for analysis of nitrate d15N, d18O isotopic composition. Results have been interpreted in the light of prevailing nitrate-nutrient concentrations (Belgian team) and N-uptake regimes for the Ice Stations (new vs. regenerated production and nitrification; see Silicon, Carbon and Nitrogen in-situ incubation Metadata file). Methodology and sampling strategy: Samples for isotopic composition of nitrate were collected from the CTD rosette, TMR and Bio ice-core jointly with the nutrient sampling. Sea-ice sampling: sampling strategy follows ice stations deployment via Bio ice-core type. Most of the time we worked close to / directly on the Trace Metal site following precautions concerning TM sampling (clean suits etc.). When we worked close to the TM site, precautions were not such important because we don't need the same drastic precautions for our own sampling. We work together because we want to propose a set of data which helps to characterize the system of functioning in close relation with TM availability (for that, sampling location have to be as close as possible). All samples were filtered on 0.2 microns acrodiscs and kept at -20 degrees C till analysis in the home-based laboratory. We applied the denitrifier method elaborated by Sigman et al. (2001) and Casciotti et al. (2002). This method is based on the isotopic analysis of delta 15N and delta 18O of nitrous oxide (N2O) generated from nitrate by denitrifying bacteria lacking N2O-reductase activity. As a prerequisite the nitrate concentrations need to be known (nutrients analysis in the home lab.) as this sets sample amount provided to the denitrifier community. Briefly, sample nitrate is reduced by a strain of denitrifying bacteria (Pseudomonas aureofaciens) which transform nitrate into N2O, but lack the enzyme to produce N2. N2O is then analysed for N, O isotopic composition by IRMS (Delta V, Thermo) after elimination of CO2, volatile organic carbon and further cryogenic focusing of N2O (Mangion, 2011). Casciotti K.L., D.M.Sigman, M.G. Hastings, J.K. Bohlke and A. Hilkert, 2002. Measurement of the oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate in seawater and freshwater using the denitrifier method, Analytical Chemistry, 74 (19): 4905-4912. Mangion P., 2011. Biogeochemical consequences of sewage discharge on mangrove environments in East Africa, PhD Thesis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 208 pp. Sigman D.M., Casciotti K.L., Andreani M., Barford C., Galanter M. and J.K. Bohlke, 2001. A bacterial method for the nitrogen isotopic analysis of nitrate in seawater and freshwater, Analytical Chemistry, 73: 4145-4153.