| Nitrogen is a principal component of living organisms and comprises the majority of the atmosphere, yet the scarcity of biologically reactive nitrogen in the ocean limits growth and appears to have varied with past changes in physical climate. This thesis takes a multi-faceted approach, including fine-scale sediment analysis, modern field observations and global numerical modeling, to contribute an integrated view of the marine nitrogen cycle and its climatic sensitivity.; Nitrogen bound in diatom frustules, extracted from laminated sediments of the Guaymas Basin, has greater seasonal delta15N variability than corresponding bulk sediment. Downslope transport of frustules from the shelf contributes 15N-depleted nitrogen, while pelagic diatom frustules display great sensitivity to seasonal growing conditions. Bulk sedimentary delta 15N represents a reliable integrated monitor of the local nitrogen substrate.; Records of bulk sedimentary delta15N from the subarctic Pacific reflect the tripartite imprints of diagenesis, variable nitrate utilization and changes in delta15N-nitrate. Modern subsurface delta 15N-nitrate is homogenous across the open subarctic Pacific. Diagenesis introduces 15N-enrichments at core tops and there is a gradual decrease of delta15N with burial. The Gulf of Alaska record does not sample HNLC waters, but records changes in delta15N-nitrate and diagenesis. This is used to correct for regional delta15N-nitrate variability, revealing rapid increases in nitrate utilization, likely due to Fe fertilization, in the western subarctic Pacific during glacial periods. The delta15N-nitrate record suggests denitrification may have occurred in the deep ocean during the last glacial maximum, and almost certainly in the upper water column of the deglacial subarctic Pacific.; A global compilation of delta15N records evokes co-ordinated changes in denitrification throughout the global thermocline, implying large increases in aggregate denitrification rate, matched by changes in N 2 fixation, under warming conditions. A global, physically-driven modulation of subsurface oxygen concentrations is proposed as the primary relevant forcing on glacial-interglacial timescales.; Simple schemes for denitrification and N2 fixation, based on widely accepted ecological principles, are quantified and embedded in a General Circulation Model of intermediate complexity. The model highlights the competition between diazotrophs and other phytoplankton for phosphorus as a key element of the marine biosphere. The model confirms a pronounced sensitivity of denitrification rates to the physical climate state, with more rapid rates of nitrogen cycling and expanded nitrogen limitation under warmer climates. |
