Integrated survey of elemental stoichiometry (C, N, P) from the Western to Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Pujo-Pay M. , Conan P. , Oriol L. , Cornet-Barthaux V. , Falco C. , Ghiglione J.-F. , Goyet C. , Moutin T. , Prieur L. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract. This paper provides an extensive vertical and longitudinal description of the biogeochemistry in the whole Mediterranean Sea during the summer 2008. During this strong stratified period, the distribution of nutrients, particulate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON) and phosphorus (DOP) were investigated along a 3000 km transect (BOUM cruise) crossing the Western and Eastern Mediterranean basins. The partitioning of chemical C, N and P species among all these mineral and organic pools has been analysed to produce a detailed spatial and vertical extended examination of the elemental stoichiometry. Surface Mediterranean waters were depleted in nutrients and the thickness of this depleted layer increased towards the East from about 10 m in the Gulf of Lion to more than 100 m in the Levantine basin, concomitantly to the gradual deepening of the thermocline and nutriclines. We used threshold in oxygen concentration to discriminate the water column in three layers; surface (Biogenic Layer BL), intermediate (Mineralization Layer ML), and deep layer (DL) and to propose a schematic representation of biogeochemical fluxes between the different compartments and to compare the functioning of the two basins. The stoichiometry revealed a clear longitudinal and vertical gradient in the mineral fraction with a P-depletion evidenced on both dimension. As a consequence of the severe deficiency in phosphorus, the C:N:P ratios in all pools within the BL largely exceed the Redfield ratios. Despite these gradients, the deep estimated fluxes in the mineral compartment tend towards the canonical Redfield values in both basins. A change in particulate matter composition has been evidenced by a C increase relative to N and P along the whole water column in the western basin and between BL and ML in the eastern one. More surprisingly, a decrease in N relative to P with depth was encountered in the whole Mediterranean Sea. We suggest that there was a more rapid recycling of N than P in intermediate waters (below BL) and a complete use of DOP in surface waters. DOC accumulated in surface waters according to the oligotrophic status but this was not the case for nitrogen nor phosphorus. Our data clearly showed a noticeable stability of the DOC:DON ratio (12–13) in the whole Mediterranean Sea, contradicting the fact that N is recycled faster than C in the DOM but in agreement with a P limitation of bacterial activity. Finally, comparisons between these elemental distributions and ratios along the West-East Mediterranean gradient of trophic status provide new insights for identifying and understanding fundamental interactions between marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems, which will help to predict the impacts of environmental climate changes on the Mediterranean marine ecosystems. Indeed, the outflowing through the various Mediterranean straits have been shown to be changing, the functioning of the BL ecosystem could be impacted, not only by changes in nutrients surface sources but also by changes in deep nutrients one.