Sigman Home

Department of Geosciences 
M52 Guyot Hall 
Princeton University 
Princeton, NJ 08544

Phone: (609) 258-2194
E-Mail:

Publications

Here is a pdf file of my publication list.

In press:

1. Sigman, D. M., K.L. Karsh, and K. L. Casciotti, Nitrogen isotopes in the ocean, in Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences (update from 2001), edited by J.H. Steele, K.K. Turekian, and S.A. Thorpe, Academic Press, London, 2008.

2. Granger, J., D. M. Sigman, M. F. Lehmann, and P. D. Tortell, Nitrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation of during dissimilatory nitrate reduction by denitrifying bacteria, Limnology and Oceanography, in press.

3. De Pol-Holz, R., R. S. Robinson, D. Hebbeln, D. M. Sigman, O. Ulloa, Controls on sedimentary N isotopes along the Chile margin, Deep-Sea Research, in press.

4. Galbraith, E. D., D. M. Sigman, R. S. Robinson, T. F. Pedersen, “Nitrogen in Past Marine Environments”, in Nitrogen in the Marine Environment (2nd edition), edited by D. A. Bronk, M. R. Mulholland, and D. G. Capone, in press.

2008:

5. Knapp, A. N., P. J. DiFiore, C. Deutsch, D. M. Sigman, and F. Lipschultz, Nitrate isotopic composition between Bermuda and Puerto Rico: Implications for N2 fixation in the Atlantic Ocean, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 22, GB3014, doi:10.1029/2007GB003107, 2008.

6. Brauer, A., G.H. Haug, P. Dulski, D.M. Sigman, J.F.W. Negendank, An abrupt wind shift in Western Europe at the onset of the Younger Dryas cold period, Nature Geosciences, 1, 520-523, doi:10.1038/ngeo263, 2008.

7. Robinson, R.S., and D. M. Sigman, Nitrogen isotopic evidence for a poleward decrease in surface nitrate within the ice age Antarctic, Quaternary Science Reviews, 27, 1076–1090, doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.02.005, 2008.

8. Galbraith, E. D., M. Kienast, S. L. Jaccard, T. F. Pedersen, B. G. Brunelle, D. M. Sigman, and T. Kiefer (2008), Consistent relationship between global climate and surface nitrate utilization in the western subarctic Pacific throughout the last 500 ka, Paleoceanography, 23, PA2212, doi:10.1029/2007PA001518.

9. de Boer, A. M., J. R. Toggweiler, and D. M. Sigman, Atlantic dominance of the meridional overturning circulation, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 38(2), 435-450, doi: 10.1175/2007JPO3731.1, 2008.

2007:

10. Meckler, A. N., G. H. Haug, D. M. Sigman, B. Plessen, L. C. Peterson, and H. R. Thierstein, Detailed sedimentary N isotope records from Cariaco Basin for Terminations I and V: Local and global implications, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 21, GB4019, doi:10.1029/2006GB002893, 2007.

11. Lehmann, M. F., D. M. Sigman, D. C. McCorkle, J. Granger, S. Hoffman, G. Cane and B. G. Brunelle, The distribution of nitrate 15N/14N in marine sediments and the impact of benthic nitrogen loss on the isotopic composition of oceanic nitrate, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 71, 5384–5404, 2007.

12. Galbraith, E. D., S. L. Jaccard, T. F. Pedersen, D. M. Sigman, G. H. Haug, M. Cook, J. R. Southon and R. Francois, Carbon dioxide release from the North Pacific abyss during the last deglaciation, Nature, 449, doi:10.1038/nature06227.

13. Sigman, D. M. A. M. de Boer, and G. H. Haug, Antarctic stratification, atmospheric water vapor, and Heinrich events: A hypothesis for late Pleistocene deglaciations, in Past and Future Changes of the Oceanic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Mechanisms and Impacts, Schmittner, A., J. H. C. Chiang, and S. R. Hemming, Eds., AGU Geophysical Monograph 173, 335-350, 2007. (pdf)

14. Houlton, B. Z., D. M. Sigman, E. A. G. Schuur, and L. O. Hedin, A climate-driven switch in plant nitrogen acquisition within tropical forest communities, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104, 21, 8902–8906, doi:10.1073/pnas.0609935104, 2007.

15. de Boer, A. M., D. M. Sigman, J. R. Toggweiler, and J. L. Russell, The effect of global ocean temperature change on deep ocean ventilation, Paleoceanography, 22, PA2210, doi:10.1029/2005PA001242, 2007. (pdf)

16. Savarino, J., J. Kaiser, S. Morin, D. M. Sigman, and M. H. Thiemens, Nitrogen and oxygen isotopic constraints on the origin of atmospheric nitrate in coastal Antarctica, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 7, 1925–1945, 2007. (pdf)

17. Brunelle, B. G., D. M. Sigman, M. S. Cook, L. D. Keigwin, G. H. Haug, B. Mingram, G. Schettler, and S. L. Jaccard, Evidence from diatom-bound nitrogen isotopes for Subarctic Pacific stratification during the last ice age and a link to North Pacific denitrification changes, Paleoceanography, 22, PA1215, doi: 10.1029/2005PA001205, 2007. (pdf)

18. Kaiser, J., M. G. Hastings, B. Z. Houlton, T. Röckmann, and D. M. Sigman, Triple oxygen isotope analysis of nitrate using the denitrifier method and thermal decomposition of N2O, Analytical Chemistry, 79, 599-607, 10.1021/ac061022s, 2007.

19. Deutsch, C., J. L. Sarmiento, D. M. Sigman, N. Gruber, and J. P. Dunne, Spatial coupling of nitrogen inputs and losses in the ocean, Nature, 445, 163-167, 10.1038/nature05392, 2007.

20. Yancheva, G., N. R. Nowaczyk, J. Mingram, P. Dulski, G. Schettler, J. F. W. Negendank, J. Liu, D. M. Sigman, L. C. Peterson, and G. H. Haug, Influence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone on the East Asian Monsoon, Nature, 445, 74-77, 10.1038/nature05431, 2007.

21. Yancheva, G., N. R. Nowaczyk, J. Mingram, P. Dulski, G. Schettler, J. F. W. Negendank, J. Liu, D. M. Sigman, L. C. Peterson, and G. H. Haug, Reply to “Anti-correlation of summer/winter monsoons?”, Nature, 450, E8-E9, doi:10.1038/nature06339, 2007b.

22. Yancheva, G., N. R. Nowaczyk, J. Mingram, P. Dulski, G. Schettler, J. F. W. Negendank, J. Liu, D. M. Sigman, L. C. Peterson, and G. H. Haug, Reply to “Record of winter monsoon strength”, Nature, 450, E11, doi:10.1038/nature06409, 2007c.

2006:

23. Granger, J., D. M. Sigman, M. Prokopenko, M. F. Lehmann, and P. D. Tortell, A method for nitrite removal in nitrate N and O isotope analysis, Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 4, 205-212, 2006. (pdf)

24. DiFiore, P. J., D. M. Sigman, T. W. Trull, A. J. Lourey, and K. L. Karsh, Nitrogen isotope constraints on Subantarctic biogeochemistry, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 111, C8, C08016, doi:10.1029/2005JC003216, 2006. (pdf)

25. Houlton, B. Z., D. M. Sigman, and L. O. Hedin, Isotopic evidence for large gaseous nitrogen losses from tropical rainforests, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103, 23, 8745-8750, 2006 (pdf)

2005:

26. Hastings, M. G., D. M. Sigman, and E. J. Steig, Glacial/interglacial changes in the isotopes of nitrate from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) ice core, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 19, GB4024, doi:10.1029/2005GB002502, 2005. (pdf)

27. Sigman, D. M., J. Granger, P. DiFiore, M. F. Lehmann, A. v. Geen, R. Ho, and G. Cane, Coupled nitrogen and oxygen isotope measurements of nitrate along the eastern North Pacific margin, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 19, GB4022, doi:10.1029/2005GB002458, 2005. (pdf)

28. Lehmann, M. F., D. M. Sigman, D. C. McCorkle, B. G. Brunelle, S. Hoffmann, M. Kienast, G. Cane, and J. Clement, The origin of the deep Bering Sea nitrate deficit -- Constraints from the nitrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of water column nitrate and benthic nitrate fluxes, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 19, GB4005, 10.1029/2005GB002508, 2005. (pdf)

29. Jaccard, S. L., Haug, G. H., Sigman, D. M., Pedersen, T. F., Thierstein, H. R., Röhl. U., Glacial/interglacial changes in Subarctic North Pacific stratification, Science, 308,1003-1006, 2005. (pdf)

30. Robinson, R. S., D. M. Sigman, P. J. DiFiore, M. M. Rohde, T. A. Mashiotta, and D. W. Lea, Diatom-bound 15N/14N: New support for enhanced nutrient consumption in the ice age Subantarctic, Paleoceanography, 20, PA3003, 10.1029/2004PA001114, 2005. (pdf)

31. Haug, G. H., A. Ganopolski, D. M. Sigman, A. Rosell-Mele, G. E. A. Swann, R. Tiedemann, S. L. Jaccard, J. Bollmann, M. A. Maslin, M. J. Leng, and G. Eglinton, North Pacific seasonality and the glaciation of North America 2.7 million years ago, Nature, 433, 821-825, 2005. (pdf)

32. Knapp, A. N., D. M. Sigman, and F. Lipschultz, N isotopic composition of dissolved organic nitrogen and nitrate at the Bermuda Atlantic time-series study site, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 19, GB1018, 10.1029/2004GB002320, 2005. (pdf)

2004:

33. Hastings, M. G., E. J. Steig, and D. M. Sigman, Seasonal variations in N and O isotopes of nitrate in snow at Summit, Greenland: Implications for the study of nitrate in snow and ice cores, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 109, D20306, 10.1029/2004JD004991, 2004. (pdf)

34. Deutsch, C., D. M. Sigman, R. C. Thunell, N. Meckler, and G. H. Haug, Isotopic constraints on glacial/interglacial changes in the oceanic nitrogen budget, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 18, GB4012, 10.1029/2003GB002189, 2004. (pdf)

35. Granger, J., D. M. Sigman, J. A. Needoba, and P. J. Harrison, Coupled nitrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation of nitrate during assimilation by cultures of marine phytoplankton, Limnology and Oceanography, 49, 5 , 1763-1773, 2004. (pdf))

36. Robinson, R. S., B. G. Brunelle and D. M. Sigman, Revisiting nutrient utilization in the glacial Antarctic: Evidence from a new method for diatom-bound N isotopic analysis, Paleoceanography, 19, 3, PA3001, 10.1029/2003PA000996, 2004. (pdf)

37. Thunell, R. C., D. M. Sigman, F. Muller-Karger, Y. Astor and R. Varela, The nitrogen isotope dynamics of the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 18, 3, GB3001, 10.1029/2003GB002185, 2004. (pdf)

38. Lehmann, M. F., D. M. Sigman, and W. M. Berelson, Coupling the 15N/14N and 18O/16O of nitrate as a constraint on benthic nitrogen cycling, Marine Chemistry, 88, 1-20, 2004. (pdf)

39. Needoba, J. A., D. M. Sigman, P. J. Harrison, The mechanism of isotope fractionation by algal nitrate assimilation as illuminated by the 15N/14N of intracellular nitrate, Journal of Phycology, 40, 517–522, 2004. (pdf)

40. Sigman, D. M., S. L. Jaccard, and G. H. Haug, Polar ocean stratification in a cold climate, Nature, 428, 59-63, 2004. (pdf)

2003:

41. Hastings, M. G., D. M. Sigman, and F. Lipschultz, Isotopic evidence for source changes of nitrate in rain at Bermuda, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 108, D24, 4790, 10.1029/2003JD003789, 2003. (pdf)

42. Sigman, D. M., and G. H. Haug, Biological Pump in the Past, in Treatise On Geochemistry, edited by H.D. Holland and K.K. Turekian (H. Elderfield, volume editor), Elsevier Science, Oxford, 2003. (pdf)

43. Saito, M. A., D. M. Sigman, and F.M.M. Morel, The bioinorganic chemistry of the ancient ocean: the co-evolution of cyanobacterial metal requirements and biogeochemical cycles at the Archean/Proterozoic boundary? Inorganica Chimica Acta, 356C, 308-318, 2003.

44. Sigman, D. M., S. J. Lehman, and D. W. Oppo, Evaluating mechanisms of nutrient depletion and 13C enrichment in the intermediate-depth Atlantic during the last ice age, Paleoceanography, 18, 3, 1072, 10.1029/2002PA000818, 2003. (pdf)

45. Lourey, M. J., T. W. Trull, D.M. Sigman, Sensitivity of d15N of nitrate, surface suspended and deep sinking particulate nitrogen to seasonal nitrate depletion in the Southern Ocean, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2003, 17, 3, 1081, 10.1029/2002GB001973, 2003. (pdf)

46. Casciotti, K. L., D. M. Sigman, and B. B. Ward, Linking diversity and stable isotope fractionation in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, Geomicrobiology Journal, 20, 335–353, 2003. (pdf)

47. Sigman, D. M., R. Robinson, A. N. Knapp, A. van Geen, D. C. McCorkle, J. A. Brandes, and R. C. Thunell, Distinguishing between water column and sedimentary denitrification in the Santa Barbara Basin using the stable isotopes of nitrate, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 4, 5, 1040, 10.1029/2002GC000384, 2003. (pdf)

48. Karsh, K. L., T. W. Trull, M. J. Lourey, and D. M. Sigman, Relationship of nitrogen isotope fractionation to phytoplankton size and iron availability during the SOIREE Southern Ocean Iron RElease Experiment (SOIREE), Limnology and Oceanography, 48, 105-106, 2003. (pdf)

49. Haug, G. H., D. Günther, L. C. Peterson, D. M. Sigman, and K. A. Hughen, B. Aeschlimann, Climate and the collapse of Maya civilization, Science, 299, 1731-1735, 2003. (pdf)

2002:

50. Carillo, J. H., M. G. Hastings, D. M. Sigman, and B. J. Huebert, Atmospheric deposition of inorganic and organic nitrogen and base cations in Hawaii, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 16, 4, 1076, 10.1029/2002GB001892, 2002. (pdf)

51. Pantoja, S., D. J. Repeta, J. P. Sachs, and D. M. Sigman, Stable isotope constraints on the nitrogen cycle of the Mediterranean Sea water column, Deep-Sea Research I, 49, 1609 –1621, 2002 (pdf).

52. Casciotti, K. L., D. M. Sigman, M. Galanter Hastings, J. K. Bohlke, and A. Hilkert, Measurement of the oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate in seawater and freshwater using the denitrifier method, Analytical Chemistry, 74, 19, 4905-4912, 2002. (pdf)

53. Tortell, P. D., G. R. DiTullio, D. M. Sigman, and F. M. M. Morel, CO2 effects on taxonomic composition and nutrient utilization in an Equatorial Pacific phytoplankton assemblage, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 236, 37-43, 2002.

54. Brzezinski, M. A., C. J. Pride, V. M. Franck, D. M. Sigman, J. L. Sarmiento, K. Matsumoto, N. Gruber, G. H. Rau, and K. H. Coale, A switch from Si(OH)4 to NO3- depletion in the glacial Southern Ocean, Geophysical Research Letters, 29, 12, 10.1029/2001GL014349, 2002.

55. Karl, D., A. Michaels, B. Bergman, D. Capone, E. Carpenter, R. Letelier, F. Lipschultz, H. Paerl, D. Sigman, and L. Stal, Dinitrogen fixation in the world’s oceans, Biogeochemistry, 57/58, 47–98, 2002.

2001:

56. Haug, G. H., K. A. Hughen, D. M. Sigman, L. C. Peterson, and U. Rohl, Southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone through the Holocene, Science, 293, 1304-1308, 2001.

57. Sigman, D. M., and K. L. Casciotti, Nitrogen isotopes in the ocean, in Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, edited by J.H. Steele, K.K. Turekian, and S.A. Thorpe, pp. 2449, Academic Press, London, 2001.

58. Sigman, D. M., K. L. Casciotti, M. Andreani, C. Barford, M. Galanter, and J. K. Bohlke, A bacterial method for the nitrogen isotopic analysis of nitrate in seawater and freshwater, Analytical Chemistry, 73, 17, 4145-4153, 2001. (pdf)

2000:

59. Sigman, D. M., Boyle, E. A., Glacial/interglacial variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Nature, 407, 6806, 859-869, 2000.

60. Sigman, D. M., M. A. Altabet, D. C. McCorkle, R. Francois, G. Fischer. The d15N of nitrate in the Southern Ocean: Nitrogen cycling and circulation in the ocean interior. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 105, C8, 19599-19614, 2000.

1999:

61. Pride, C., R. Thunell, D. Sigman, L. Keigwin, M. Altabet, and E. Tappa, Nitrogen isotopic variations in the Gulf of California since the last deglaciation: Response to global climate change, Paleoceanography, 14, 397-409, 1999.

62. Haug, G. H., D. M. Sigman, R. Tiedemann, T.F. Pedersen, M. Sarnthein, Onset of permanent stratification in the subarctic Pacific Ocean, Nature, 401, 779-782, 1999.

63. Altabet, M. A., C. Pilskaln, R. Thunell, C. Pride, D. Sigman, F. Chavez, and R. Francois, The Nitrogen isotope biogeochemistry of sinking particles from the margin of the eastern North Pacific. Deep-Sea Research, Part I, 1999. 46: 655-679.

64. Sigman, D. M., M. A. Altabet, D. C. McCorkle, R. Francois, G. Fischer. The d15N of nitrate in the Southern Ocean: Nitrate consumption in surface waters. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 13, 4, 1149-1166, 1999.

65. Sigman, D. M., M. A. Altabet, R. Francois, D. C. McCorkle, and J. F. Gaillard, The isotopic composition of diatom-bound nitrogen in Southern Ocean sediments, Paleoceanography, 14, 118-134, 1999.

1998:

66. Holmes, R. M., J. W. McClelland, D. M. Sigman, B. Fry, and B. J. Peterson, Measuring 15N-NH4+ in marine, estuarine and fresh waters: An adaptation of the ammonia diffusion method for samples with low ammonium concentrations, Marine Chemistry, 60, 235-243, 1998.

67. Haug, G. H., T. F. Pedersen, D. M. Sigman, S. E. Calvert, B. Nielsen, and L. C. Peterson, Glacial/interglacial variations in production and nitrogen fixation in the Cariaco Basin during the last 580 kyr, Paleoceanography, 13, 427-432, 1998.

68. Sigman, D. M., D. C. McCorkle, and W. R. Martin, The calcite lysocline as a constraint on glacial/interglacial low-latitude production changes, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 12, 409-427, 1998.

69. Hughen, K. A., J. T. Overpeck, S. J. Lehman, M. Kashgarian, J. Southon, L. C. Peterson, R. Alley, and D. M. Sigman, Deglacial changes in ocean circulation from an extended radiocarbon calibration, Nature, 391, 65-68, 1998.

1997:

70. Webb, R. S., D. H. Rind, S. J. Lehman, R. J. Healy, and D. M. Sigman, Influence of ocean heat transport on the climate of the Last Glacial Maximum, Nature, 385, 695-699, 1997.

71. Francois, R., M. A. Altabet, E. F. Yu, D. M. Sigman, M. P. Bacon, M. Frank, G. Bohrmann, G. Bareille, and L. D. Labeyrie, Contribution of Southern Ocean surface-water stratification to low atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the last glacial period, Nature, 389, 929-935, 1997.

72. Sigman, D. M., M. A. Altabet, R. Michener, D. C. McCorkle, B. Fry, and R. M. Holmes, Natural abundance-level measurement of the nitrogen isotopic composition of oceanic nitrate: an adaptation of the ammonia diffusion method, Marine Chemistry, 57, 227-242, 1997.

In review:

Knapp, A. N., M. G. Hastings, D. M. Sigman, F. Lipschultz, and J. N. Galloway, The flux and isotopic composition of reduced and total nitrogen in Bermuda rain, Marine Chemistry, in review.

D. M. Sigman, P. J. DiFiore, M. P. Hain, C. Deutsch, Y. Wang, D. M. Karl, A. N. Knapp, M. F. Lehmann, and S. Pantoja, The dual isotopes of deep nitrate as a constraint on the cycle and budget of oceanic fixed nitrogen, Deep-Sea Research I, in review.

Jaccard, S.L., E.D. Galbraith, D.M. Sigman, G.H. Haug, R. Francois, T.F. Pedersen, P. Dulski, H.R. Thierstein, Subarctic Pacific evidence for a glacial deepening of the oceanic respired carbon pool, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, in review.