Most open ocean pelagic ecosystems are nitrogen-limited (Duce et al., 2008), with continuous or episodic nitrogen supply crucial for sustaining system productivity. Open-ocean waters rely on new production to balance nitrogen lost through sinking, subducted organic matter, exploited stocks or migratory higher trophic levels. New production refers to phytoplankton organic matter produced based on nitrogen coming from outside of an ecosystem (as opposed to nutrients remineralized in the euphotic zone), with the primary sources of new production (nitrogen fixation, upwelling, and lateral advection) typically accounting for ∼10% of net primary productivity (NPP) in oligotrophic waters (