Primary Production Processes

This chapter introduces the major factors that control primary production and how to measure it. Primary production is the starting point of all life in marine systems. Primary producers in the oceans span many orders of magnitude. Production is measured using bottled incubations or, increasingly, from space, using (satellite-borne) ocean colour sensors that detect photosynthetic pigments in surface waters. The conversion of inorganic carbon into biomass, its subsequent sinking to the seabed, and sequestration over thousands of years are fundamental to an understanding of the ocean as a potential sink for increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. About 55% of the total carbon captured on Earth through the process of photosynthesis and production of biomass takes place in marine systems.