Analyses of dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from the surface sediments of 371 sites from the North Atlantic Ocean were performed in order to define relationships with nitrate, phosphate, silica and productivity in the upper water layer. Statistical analyses reveal close links between dinocyst assemblages and nitrate content in February that provide a measurement of nitrate availability. Amongst the taxa in the assemblages, Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus, which positively correlates with nutrients, shows an eutrophic relationship, whereas Impagidinium aculeatum, Impagidinium patulum, Spiniferites ramosus, Spiniferites mirabilis and Lingulodinium machaerophorum have a rather oligotrophic relationship. On these grounds, transfer functions were tested using multiple regressions and the best analogue technique to reconstruct nitrate content. Both methods yielded reasonable estimates and allow the reconstruction of the nitrate concentrations in February with an accuracy better than 1.45 μmol m−3. At the scale of the study area, there are also tenuous links between the dinocyst assemblages and productivity. Transfer functions were tentatively tested for the reconstruction of annual productivity and yield estimates with an accuracy of about 26.5 gC m−2 year−1. These results demonstrate that dinocyst assemblages can be used for the reconstruction of productivity and nitrates.