Why Does Teh Ocean Have High Productivity?

Why do oceans have least productivity?

The Earth is composed of 70% ocean and 30% land. Sunlight is a major limiting factor in oceans, as it decreases the intensity of light, reducing the photosynthetic rate. This decrease in photosynthesis can hinder the development of plants and animals in aquatic environments. Phytoplanktons carry out the maximum primary production in oceans, while land is rich in mineral deposition, causing scarce nutrients and minerals. Small, floating autotrophic plants in oceans are the major producers, but their productivity is low due to their less vascular nature.

Terrestrial plants have developed advanced structures to enhance their photosynthesis capacity. The productivity of land is 170 billion tons, while the ocean’s productivity is only 55 billion tons. Marine waters offer maximum productivity through coral reefs, sea grasses, and brown algal beds. Cool waters also contain dense forests formed by kelps in the sublittoral zone of rocky coasts.

Why does the ocean have high productivity?

The coastal upwelling areas in the south-eastern Atlantic, north-eastern Atlantic, and south-eastern Pacific are characterized by major ocean currents, such as the Benguela Current, Canary Current, and Humboldt Current. These currents, driven by trade winds, move water masses towards the equator, pushing surface waters off-shore. This leads to upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich deep water to the surface, resulting in high biological production.

GEOMAR is coordinating a joint project called REEBUS (Role of Eddies for the Carbon Pump in Coastal Upwelling Areas), which aims to better understand oceanic eddies by applying a novel, multi-layered observational approach combined with process models. The project builds on prior work by the Kiel Collaborative Research Centre 754, and will be based on three research expeditions in 2019 and 2020 led by GEOMAR.

Why is primary productivity typically higher in ocean upwelling zones?

Temperate oceans are highly productive due to strong seasonal changes in temperature and ocean conditions. These regions, such as those along the west coasts of continents like California and Chile, are highly productive due to the nutrient-rich waters brought to the surface. The seasonal variability in temperature and mixing in temperate regions can support significant primary production.

Tropical oceans, including surface waters, can also be highly productive, but the factors driving productivity differ. High temperatures and abundant sunlight can support continuous phytoplankton growth throughout the year, with coral reefs being among the most productive ecosystems due to their symbiotic relationships with photosynthetic algae. However, nutrient limitation can be a constraint in some tropical regions, particularly in open ocean areas with warm, stable surface waters.

Both temperate and tropical regions can exhibit variability in productivity, with some areas having higher productivity due to local conditions like upwelling, while others may have lower productivity. In conclusion, temperature is not the sole determinant of ocean productivity, but nutrient availability, light, and local oceanographic conditions are equally important.

Why is the productivity in oceans lesser than on land?

The Earth is composed of 70% ocean and 30% land. Sunlight is a major limiting factor in oceans, as it decreases the intensity of light, reducing the photosynthetic rate. This decrease in photosynthesis can hinder the development of plants and animals in aquatic environments. Phytoplanktons carry out the maximum primary production in oceans, while land is rich in mineral deposition, causing scarce nutrients and minerals. Small, floating autotrophic plants in oceans are the major producers, but their productivity is low due to their less vascular nature.

Terrestrial plants have developed advanced structures to enhance their photosynthesis capacity. The productivity of land is 170 billion tons, while the ocean’s productivity is only 55 billion tons. Marine waters offer maximum productivity through coral reefs, sea grasses, and brown algal beds. Cool waters also contain dense forests formed by kelps in the sublittoral zone of rocky coasts.

What is the main control on productivity in the ocean?

Ocean productivity is the primary production of single-celled phytoplankton, which supply organic matter to heterotrophs. Most organic matter is respired back into dissolved inorganic forms, available for use by phytoplankton. Primary productivity is limited by nutrient and light availability, with colder, nutrient-rich waters trapped below warmer, sunlit water. Open oceans have a lower rate of productivity compared to coastal zones and areas near upwellings.

Which ocean has the highest productivity?

The Pacific region experiences higher rates of deep-water oxygen consumption than the Atlantic, requiring an average per unit area new primary production of about 1. 8 times greater. This is due to the higher rate of oxygen consumption from 14C and oxygen distributions. The study also mentions the use of cookies on the site, and the copyright for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies belongs to Elsevier B. V.

Why productivity is high in coastal areas?

Primary productivity in oceanic waters varies geographically and seasonally. Coastal waters are more productive than central oceans due to high nutrient runoff and shallower bottoms along the continental shelf. These areas are far removed from terrestrial sources of nutrients, preventing deep nutrients from returning to the surface. Global averages for ocean surface primary production are 75-150 g C/m 2 /yr, with highly productive areas like the California coast, Southern Ocean, and coast of Peru.

Regional and seasonal changes in primary production are due to the availability of light and the amount of nutrients provided by water mixing above the thermocline. In tropical regions, sunlight is abundant throughout the year, leading to nutrient-limited productivity. Surface water is always warm and has a pronounced thermocline, preventing nutrient-rich bottom water from reaching the surface. This results in nutrient-poor water, which is clear, similar to the case with water in the central ocean. Overall, primary productivity varies regionally and seasonally due to factors such as light availability and nutrient availability.

Why the productivity of the oceans are only 55 billion tons?

Aquatic ecosystems face challenges in productivity due to light scarcity, low mineral content, and primarily free-floating phytoplankton producers. Terrestrial plants have larger, multicellular plants with chlorophyll-containing cells, while oceanic ecosystems have smaller, unicellular phytoplankton producers. Photosynthetic capacity, the maximum rate at which leaves can fix carbon during photosynthesis, is lower in oceanic ecosystems. Despite occupying 70% of Earth’s surface, ocean productivity is very low, largely due to the lack of light and minerals in oceanic water compared to terrestrial ecosystems.

What is the major factor that limits primary productivity in most oceans?

The availability of light is a critical element in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. As depth increases, light penetration decreases, which in turn limits productivity.

Why is productivity greatest near the ocean’s surface?

The penetration of sunlight into the upper layers of the oceanic water column stimulates the process of photosynthesis and upwelling, which in turn facilitates the transfer of nutrients to the surface.