A holistic approach to understanding the N isotopic composition (d15N) of deep-sea sediments: diatom-bound, foraminifera-bound, whole sediment and modern nitrate d15N from the equatorial Pacific

The nitrogen (N) isotopic composition (d15N) of sediment is well established as a proxy of nitrate consumption and the d15N of nitrate in the surface ocean, but it is commonly assumed that post-depositional fractionation during organic matter degradation provides an additional unconstrained variable in sediments from the deep-sea. This mistrust of deep-sea sediments essentially renders most of the global ocean off-limits to the application of this powerful proxy of nutrient dynamics. Here we address this issue with new measurements of diatom-bound, foraminifera-bound, and whole sediment d15N from deep-sea sediments of the equatorial Pacific—a region where we have also investigated the processes influencing modern nitrate characteristics. With the results of these new records and previously published measurements relevant to the composition of sedimentary nitrogen, we are confident that whole sediment d15N from the deep-sea is not altered after deposition on the sea floor and that it accurately records surface ocean conditions. With these new constraints on whole sediment d15N, we discuss the exciting implications for alternative sediment d15N measurements (such as diatom- and foraminifera-bound d15N) and present evidence for a long-term increase in equatorial Pacific d15N of nitrate.