Dynamics and elemental stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in particulate and dissolved organic pools during a phytoplankton bloom induced by in situ iron enrichment in the western subarctic Pacific (SEEDS-II)

The dynamics of organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) were examined during an in situ mesoscale iron-enrichment experiment in the western North Pacific in the summer of 2004. We separately determined the production of particulate organic matter (POM) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) and their subsequent removal during the bloom decline. As the iron-induced phytoplankton bloom progressed (days 0–14), POM increased in the surface mixed layer, while DOM did not increase significantly. The molar ratios for C:N, C:P, and N:P of the newly produced POM were estimated to be 4.9, 190, and 37 in the surface mixed layer, whereas the dissolved inorganic nitrogen to soluble reactive phosphorus drawdown ratio was 17. Preferential remineralization of P over C and N from the POM was postulated during the developing phytoplankton bloom. During the bloom decline (days 16–25), surface POM decreased with a similar C:N of 5.2. The N:P ratio of surface DOM increased during the bloom decline. Below the surface mixed layer, DOC and DON increased moderately after the peak of the bloom. The time-series variation of DOC and DON was not identical. The C, N, and P dynamics through the accumulation and removal of POM and DOM were complex. Grazing by mesozooplankton during the experiment may have played a significant role in the uncoupling of the dynamics of C, N, and P.