Total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) of samples collected on the West Florida Shelf during STING I cruise AE2305 on R/V Atlantic Explorer from Feb 20 to Mar 05, 2023

The West Florida Shelf (WFS) is oligotrophic, with inorganic N and P concentrations typically at or below detection limits, and yet significant rates of primary productivity, including blooms of the cyanobacterial diazotroph Trichodesmium spp. as well as the harmful algal species Karenia brevis, are observed there. Consequently, dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) are thought to be the primary sources of assimilative nutrients on the WFS. Here we report measurements of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) concentrations made on samples collected on a cross-shelf cruise in Feb-Mar 2023 aboard the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Elevated concentrations of TDN (>12 µM) and TDP (>0.5 µM) were observed in the shallow, nearshore region, while to the west concentrations of both TDN and TDP decreased to values typically associated with oligotrophic North Atlantic waters (4 to 5 µM TDN and 0.05 to 0.1 µM TDP).