Turnover time of plant organic matter in the oceans
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| Range | 2-6 days |
|---|---|
| Organism | Biosphere |
| Reference | Field CB, Behrenfeld MJ, Randerson JT, Falkowski P. Primary production of the biosphere: integrating terrestrial and oceanic components. Science. 1998 Jul 10 281(5374):pp. 238PubMed ID9657713 |
| Primary Source | P. G. Falkowski and J. A. Raven, Aquatic Photosynthesis (Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 1997). pp. 389 |
| Method | (Primary source) The average chlorophyll concentration of the world ocean is 0.32 mg/m^3 and the average euphotic zone depth is 63m. Thus, the average, integrated chlorophyll concentration is about 19mg/m^2 (Morel 1991). Carbon to chlorophyll ratios of phytoplankton typically range between 40:1 and 100:1 by weight (Banse 1977). Given the total area of the ocean of 3.1×10^8 km^2, the total carbon biomass in phytoplankton is between 0.25 to 0.65 Pg. If net primary production is about 50 Pg/yr, and assuming the ocean is in steady state, the living phytoplankton biomass turns over between 60-150 times per year, which is equivalent to a turnover time of 2 to 6 days. |
| Entered by | Uri M |
| ID | 102947 |