Journal article
Global importance of nitrogen fixation across inland and coastal waters
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), v 388(6752), pp 1205-1209
12 Jun 2025
PMID: 40504894
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Biological nitrogen fixation is a key driver of global primary production and climate. Decades of effort have repeatedly updated nitrogen fixation estimates for terrestrial and open ocean systems, yet other aquatic systems in between have largely been ignored. Here we present an evaluation of nitrogen fixation for inland and coastal waters. We demonstrate that water column and sediment nitrogen fixation is ubiquitous across these diverse aquatic habitats, with rates ranging six orders of magnitude. We conservatively estimate that, despite accounting for less than 10% of the global surface area, inland and coastal aquatic systems fix 40 (30 to 54) teragrams of nitrogen per year, equivalent to 15% of the nitrogen fixed on land and in the open ocean. Inland systems contribute more than half of this biological nitrogen fixation.
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Details
- Title
- Global importance of nitrogen fixation across inland and coastal waters
- Creators
- Robinson W Fulweiler - Boston UniversityShelby Rinehart - Drexel UniversityJason Taylor - National Sedimentation LaboratoryMichelle C Kelly - Michigan Technological UniversityMegan E Berberich - Michigan Technological UniversityNicholas E Ray - University of DelawareAutumn Oczkowski - Coastal Carolina UniversitySawyer Balint - Boston UniversityMar Benavides - Living Systems (United States)Matthew J Church - University of MontanaBrianna Loeks - University of MinnesotaSilvia Newell - University of MichiganMalin Olofsson - Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesJimmy Clifford Oppong - Charles UniversitySarah S Roley - Washington State UniversityCarmella Vizza - Department of Natural Science, Hawai'i Pacific University, Honolulu, HI, USASamuel T Wilson - Newcastle UniversitySubhadeep Chowdhury - Living Systems (United States)Peter Groffman - Cary Institute of Ecosystem StudiesJ Thad Scott - Baylor UniversityAmy M Marcarelli - Michigan Technological University
- Publication Details
- Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), v 388(6752), pp 1205-1209
- Publisher
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Number of pages
- 5
- Grant note
- National Science Foundation: 2015825 Rhode Island Sea Grant
Funding for this work was provided by National Science Foundation grant 2015825 to J.T.S., R.W.F., and A.M.M. R.W.F. also received funding from Rhode Island Sea Grant for this work.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001508514600027
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105009358147
- Other Identifier
- 991022057813904721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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Source: SDGs in the Output
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Geosciences, Multidisciplinary