Atmospheric deposition and river runoff stimulate the utilization of dissolved organic phosphorus in coastal seas

Haoyu Jin; Chao Zhang; Siyu Meng; Qin Wang; Xiaokun Ding; Ling Meng; Yunyun Zhuang; Xiaohong Yao; Yang Gao; Feng Shi; Thomas Mock; Huiwang Gao

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-44838-7

Atmospheric deposition and river runoff stimulate the utilization of dissolved organic phosphorus in coastal seas

Nat Commun. 2024 Jan 30;15(1):658. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-44838-7.

Authors

Haoyu Jin^{1

2

3}, Chao Zhang^{4

5}, Siyu Meng^{1

2

3}, Qin Wang^{1

2}, Xiaokun Ding⁶, Ling Meng^{7

8}, Yunyun Zhuang^{1

2}, Xiaohong Yao^{1

2}, Yang Gao^{1

2}, Feng Shi^{1

2}, Thomas Mock⁹, Huiwang Gao^{10

11}

Affiliations

¹ Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China.
² Marine Ecology and Environmental Science Laboratory, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, 266071, China.
³ School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
⁴ Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China. zhangchao@ouc.edu.cn.
⁵ Marine Ecology and Environmental Science Laboratory, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, 266071, China. zhangchao@ouc.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Ocean, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China.
⁷ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003, China.
⁸ University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
⁹ School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK. T.Mock@uea.ac.uk.
¹⁰ Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China. hwgao@ouc.edu.cn.
¹¹ Marine Ecology and Environmental Science Laboratory, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, 266071, China. hwgao@ouc.edu.cn.

Abstract

In coastal seas, the role of atmospheric deposition and river runoff in dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) utilization is not well understood. Here, we address this knowledge gap by combining microcosm experiments with a global approach considering the relationship between the activity of alkaline phosphatases and changes in phytoplankton biomass in relation to the concentration of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP). Our results suggest that the addition of aerosols and riverine water stimulate the biological utilization of DOP in coastal seas primarily by depleting DIP due to increasing nitrogen concentrations, which enhances phytoplankton growth. This "Anthropogenic Nitrogen Pump" was therefore identified to make DOP an important source of phosphorus for phytoplankton in coastal seas but only when the ratio of chlorophyll a to DIP [Log₁₀ (Chl a / DIP)] is larger than 1.20. Our study therefore suggests that anthropogenic nitrogen input might contribute to the phosphorus cycle in coastal seas.