Open oceans, upwelling zones and continental shelves

Open oceans, upwelling zones and continental shelves 

The majority of these papers deal with the classical marine food web, where photosynthetically produced organic matter in the form of phytoplankton is consumed by herbivorous zooplankters which are, in turn, consumed by carnivores. The tropho-dynamics of these processes have been postulated and documented for well over half a century (Strickland, 1970). 

As shown in Fig. 1 photosynthesis is most intensive in regions where 

Division of the ocean into provinces according to their level of primary organic production (after Ryther, 1969) 

Province Percentage of ocean Area (km ) Mean productivity (g C m 2 yr ) Total production (10 t Cyr- ) 

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