Chapter 8
Oceanic Net Primary Production
Toby K. Westberry and Michael J. Behrenfeld
Abstract Production of organic matter in the ocean is a fundamental process for
biogeochemical cycling of elements (carbon, nitrogen, etc.) as well as for providing the foundation of nearly all marine food webs. Satellite remote sensing
provides the only means of estimating this rate at basin and global scales. A variety
of satellite-based models for estimation of net primary production exist spanning a
wide range of complexity. Results from applying these models to the satellite
record have yielded valuable insight on the ocean’s role in the earth climate system
and the coupling of physics and biology. A vision for the next generation of NPP
models aimed at utilizing existing tools and anticipated improvements in future
satellite ocean color missions is also given.
8.1 Introduction
Nearly one third of annual anthropogenic CO 2 introduced to the atmosphere each
year ends up in the ocean, with much of it mediated by biological uptake initiated
by photosynthetic conversion of CO 2 to organic matter. Quantification of marine
photosynthesis has been the subject of study since prior to the twentieth century
(see review by Barber and Hilting 2002 on the history of plankton productivity
studies in the ocean). Photosynthetic primary production in the ocean relies on a
diverse community of planktonic algae (phytoplankton) distributed across a wide
range of oceanic habitats. The standing stock of phytoplankton at any time is small
(B1 Pg C), yet amazingly their cumulative rates of annual net primary production
(NPP) equal or even exceed those of terrestrial plants (Field et al. 1998; Behrenfeld
et al. 2001). NPP is defined as the fraction of total photosynthetic carbon fixation
T. K. Westberry (&) Á M. J. Behrenfeld
Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, OR 97330-2902, USA
e-mail: westbert@science.oregonstate.edu
J. M. Hanes (ed.), Biophysical Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing,
Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-25047-7_8,
Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
205
Oceanic Net Primary Production
Toby K. Westberry and Michael J. Behrenfeld
Abstract Production of organic matter in the ocean is a fundamental process for
biogeochemical cycling of elements (carbon, nitrogen, etc.) as well as for providing the foundation of nearly all marine food webs. Satellite remote sensing
provides the only means of estimating this rate at basin and global scales. A variety
of satellite-based models for estimation of net primary production exist spanning a
wide range of complexity. Results from applying these models to the satellite
record have yielded valuable insight on the ocean’s role in the earth climate system
and the coupling of physics and biology. A vision for the next generation of NPP
models aimed at utilizing existing tools and anticipated improvements in future
satellite ocean color missions is also given.
8.1 Introduction
Nearly one third of annual anthropogenic CO 2 introduced to the atmosphere each
year ends up in the ocean, with much of it mediated by biological uptake initiated
by photosynthetic conversion of CO 2 to organic matter. Quantification of marine
photosynthesis has been the subject of study since prior to the twentieth century
(see review by Barber and Hilting 2002 on the history of plankton productivity
studies in the ocean). Photosynthetic primary production in the ocean relies on a
diverse community of planktonic algae (phytoplankton) distributed across a wide
range of oceanic habitats. The standing stock of phytoplankton at any time is small
(B1 Pg C), yet amazingly their cumulative rates of annual net primary production
(NPP) equal or even exceed those of terrestrial plants (Field et al. 1998; Behrenfeld
et al. 2001). NPP is defined as the fraction of total photosynthetic carbon fixation
T. K. Westberry (&) Á M. J. Behrenfeld
Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, OR 97330-2902, USA
e-mail: westbert@science.oregonstate.edu
J. M. Hanes (ed.), Biophysical Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing,
Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-25047-7_8,
Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
205