World-wide primary productivity

The two images below show variations in primary productivity based on satellite measurements of chlorophyll pigment. Red colors indicate high values and purple colors indicate low values (see colorbar scale below). Black areas are parts of the ocean where no data were collected. Two factors affect the amount of primary productivity in the ocean: light and nutrients. Light changes seasonally, particularly at high latitudes. High nutrient levels are often associated with areas of upwelling currents and low levels are often associated with downwelling currents. In the displayed images, notice how the productivity values relate to the oceanic currents we studied in another exercise.

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