The open ocean is

a biological desert.
Primary Production
Global chlorophyll concentrations for Oct. 2000
Feb 5, 1998: uniformly low pigment concentrations during all seasons
Primary productivity
Primary productivity is the amount
of carbon (organic matter)
produced by organisms
Mostly through photosynthesis
Energy source = solar radiation
Also includes chemosynthesis
Energy source = chemical reactions
Photosynthetic productivity
Primary Producers
Common Name
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)
Red algae
Brown algae
Green algae
Coccolithophorids
Dinoflagellates
Diatoms
Seagrass

Oceanic photosynthetic
productivity
Controlling factors affecting
photosynthetic productivity:
Availability of nutrients
Nitrates
Phosphates
Iron
Amount of sunlight
Varies daily and seasonally
Sunlight strong enough to support
photosynthesis occurs only to a depth of 100
meters (euphotic zone)
Locations of maximum
photosynthetic productivity
Coastlines
Abundant supply of nutrients from land
Water shallow enough for light to penetrate
all the way to the sea floor
Upwelling areas
Cool, nutrient-rich deep water is brought to
the sunlit surface
Upwelling
Coastal upwelling
The electromagnetic spectrum and
light penetration in seawater
Water color and life in the
ocean
Ocean color is influenced by:
The amount of turbidity from runoff
The amount of photosynthetic pigment, which
corresponds to the amount of productivity
Yellow-green = highly productive water
Found in coastal and upwelling areas
(eutrophic)
Clear indigo blue = low productivity water
Found in the tropics and open ocean
(oligotrophic)
Table 1. Average net primary production and biomass of aquatic
habitats. Data from R.H. Whittaker and G.E. Likens, Human Ecol. 1:
357-369 (1973).
Habitat Net primary
Production
(g C/m
2
/yr)
Coral Reefs 2000
Kelp Bed 1900
Estuaries 1800
Seagrass Beds 1000
Mangrove Swamp 500
Lakes & streams 500
Continental Shelf 360
Upwelling 250
Open ocean 50
Productivity varies TEMPORALLY and
SPATIALLY:
generally highest over continental shelves; over
the shelf itself it is highest just offshore
seasonality more pronounced at high latitudes
at mid latitudes, productivity peaks both spring
and fall

Observations from September 1997 through July 2005
Thermocline
Temperature profile
d
e
p
t
h
Regional productivity
Photosynthetic productivity varies due
to:
Amount of sunlight
Availability of nutrients
Thermocline (a layer of rapidly changing
temperature) limits nutrient supply
Examine three open ocean regions:
1. Polar oceans (>60 latitude)
2. Tropical oceans (<30 latitude)
3. Temperate oceans (30-60 latitude)
Productivity in tropical,
temperate, and polar oceans
Zooplankton
Productivity polar oceans
Productivity in tropical oceans
Productivity in temperate
oceans
Plankton Sampling
picoplankton
nanplankton
Plankton Size
microplankton
Picoplankton (.2-2 m)
Nanoplankton (2 - 20 m)
Microplankton (20-200 m)
Macroplankton (200-2,000 m)
Megaplankton (> 2,000 m)
R=P
Primary Productivity
Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
The rate of production of organic matter from
inorganic materials by autotrophic organisms
Respiration (R)
The rate of consumption of organic matter
(conversion to inorganic matter) by organisms.
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
The net rate of organic matter produced as a
consequence of both GPP and R.
Primary Productivity
NPP = GPP - R
Light & Dark Experiments
Photosynthesis:
light + 6CO
2
+ 6H
2
O C
6
H
12
O
6
+ 6O
2

Respiration:
C
6
H
12
O
6
+ 6O
2

zooplankton
phytoplankton
decomposition
6CO
2
+ 6H
2
O
dark bottle light bottle
photosynthesis + respiration respiration
weight
Calculating Primary Productivity
(Light - Initial) = (10 - 8) = 2 mg/L/hr = (GPP - R) = NPP
(Initial - Dark) = (8 - 5) = 3 mg/L/hr = Respiration
(Light - Dark) = (10 - 5) = 5 mg/L/hr = (NPP + R) = GPP
Assume that our incubation period was 1 hour.
Measured oxygen concentrations:
Initial bottle = 8 mg O
2
/L
Light bottle = 10 mg O
2
/L
Dark bottle = 5 mg O
2
/L

Environmental
Factors Affecting
Primary Production
(eutrophication)
Inquiry

1. Why is the open ocean a biological desert?
2. Where are the most productive regions located?
3. Describe productivity in temperate, polar and
tropical water.
4. Why does the zooplankton lag behind the
phytoplankton?
5. If you want to catch microplankton, what size mesh
net do you need?
6. Why cant plants grow below the compensation
depth?
7. Why does eutrophication sometimes result in mass
fish kills?