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  • Pelagic Ecosystems
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The role of particulate matter in the productivity of surface waters

Helgoländer wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen volume 30, pages 546–564 (1977)Cite this article

Abstract

Except for the special cases of upwelled water and the spring blooms in temperate and boreal waters, the productivity of the oceans is largely governed by the rate of nutrient regeneration in surface waters. This rate of regeneration is a function of the number of actively metabolizing bacteria present, which in turn appears to be a function of the particle content of the water. Thus, particle content may be the basic control on the productivity of the open oceans. The possibility of increasing productivity by artificially increasing the particle content of the water should be considered for regions characterized by low particle count, such as the Sargasso Sea. Since silicate can only be resupplied by re-solution of diatom tests, a process taking place at depth, plankton blooms following regeneration kinetics will typically be dinoflagellate rather than diatom blooms.

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  1. Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, B3H4J1, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    P. J. Wangersky

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Wangersky, P.J. The role of particulate matter in the productivity of surface waters. Helgolander Wiss. Meeresunters 30, 546–564 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02207860

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Helgoland Marine Research

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