Biological production and f-ratio in the equatorial Pacific

Abstract

The importance of interannual fluctuations of the coupled climate system over the Pacific Ocean have been known for quite some time as a result of El Niño phenomenon. The significance of interannual variability in biological production and ecosystem structure in tropical Pacific for global carbon cycle has been suggested, but only recently available satellite and buoy observations provide means to synoptically monitor the magnitude of the variability over the large area of the Pacific Ocean. Here, we provide independent remotely-sensed measures of total and new production, and examine the f-ratio over large space scales in the equatorial Pacific. The purpose is to examine the coherence between the two independent measures, and to evaluate the nature of the physical and ecological processes and structure that give rise to observed variability over interannual time scales.