What limits productivity in tropical oceans and why?
In tropical oceans productivity is limited year-round by the lack of nutrients. In tropical oceans productivity is limited year-round by the lack of sunlight. In temperate oceans the fall bloom is limited by the lack of sunlight. In temperate oceans the spring bloom is limited by the lack of sunlight.
What factors affect productivity in the ocean?
Ocean Productivity. Abiotic factors like solar radiation and nutrients, and biotic factors like zooplankton predation may affect ocean primary productivity. Productivity varies with the season, and also locally and globally.
What makes the ocean least productive?
Availability of solar radiation is least in oceans; especially in deep oceans. Due to this, oceans are least productive.
Why are tropical waters less productive?
The surface water is always warm and there is always a pronounced thermocline, leading to highly stratified water that prevents the nutrient-rich bottom water from reaching the surface (section 6.2). Thus productivity in tropical water is always nutrient-limited, and productivity is low throughout the year (Figure 7.4.
Why do tropical oceans have low productivity?
In the vast unproductive low- and mid-latitude ocean, warm and sunlit surface water is separated from cold, nutrient-rich interior water by a strong density difference that restricts mixing of water and thereby reduces nutrient supply, which becomes the limiting factor for productivity.
Why is productivity low in tropical regions quizlet?
Biological productivity is low in tropical regions because the strong thermocline prevents the mixing of waters and movement of nutrients. Polar regions have low biological production because of the lack of sunlight.
What limits primary production in the ocean?
However, the vast majority of oceanic surface waters are depleted in inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and/or silica; nutrients that limit primary production in the ocean (Figure 1).
Why tropical waters are unproductive?
Why are tropical waters highly unproductive? Algae and other plants are able to photosynthesize to produce organic material from inorganic nutrients. And the organic material forms the building block for all animals higher up in the food chain.
Why do oceans have low NPP?
In open ocean, any dead material sinks to the ocean depths. The warmer, well lit surface layers, therefore, hold little nutrient.
What is the limiting factor of primary production in the tropics?
At low latitudes the limiting factor for primary production is: sunlight.
Why is productivity low in tropical region?
Biological productivity is low in tropical regions because the strong thermocline prevents the mixing of waters and movement of nutrients. Polar regions have low biological production because of the lack of sunlight.
Why do most areas of tropical regions have low primary productivity?
The surface water is always warm and there is always a pronounced thermocline, leading to highly stratified water that prevents the nutrient-rich bottom water from reaching the surface (section 6.2). Thus productivity in tropical water is always nutrient-limited, and productivity is low throughout the year (Figure 7.4.
Why do tropical seas have low productivity?
In surface waters away from coastlines, generally there is plenty of sun but not enough nutrients. So most of the ocean surface is not very productive. The water is too deep for storms to stir up nutrients from the bottom and there isn't upwelling.
What controls or limits productivity in tropical regions?
Answer and Explanation: Primary productivity in tropical oceans is limited by the amount of nutrients available. Tropical oceans have plenty of sunlight in the upper regions,…