A global dataset of nitrogen fixation rates across inland and coastal waters

Biological nitrogen fixation is the conversion of dinitrogen (N 2 ) gas into bioavailable nitrogen by microorganisms with consequences for primary production, ecosystem function, and global climate. Here we present a compiled dataset of 4793 nitrogen fixation (N 2 ‐fixation) rates measured in the water column and benthos of inland and coastal systems via the acetylene reduction assay, 15 N 2 labeling, or N 2 /Ar technique. While the data are distributed across seven continents, most observations (88%) are from the northern hemisphere. 15 N 2 labeling accounted for 67% of water column measurements, while the acetylene reduction assay accounted for 81% of benthic N 2 ‐fixation observations. Dataset median area‐, volume‐, and mass‐normalized N 2 ‐fixation rates are 7.1 μ mol N 2 ‐N m −2 h −1 , 2.3 × 10 −4 μ mol N 2 ‐N L −1 h −1 , and 4.8 × 10 −4 μ mol N 2 ‐N g −1 h −1 , respectively. This dataset will facilitate future efforts to study and scale N 2 ‐fixation contributions across inland and coastal aquatic environments.