PRIMARY PRODUCTION IN THE NORTH PACIFIC CENTRAL GYRE - A CONTROVERSY WITH IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS

Photosynthesis in the ocean is measured by C-14-CO2 uptake in bottle incubations. It can also be estimated from the distribution of biogeochemical properties. In the subtropical gyres, the biogeochemical method yields a rate that is apparently greater than that measured by the C-14 technique. This led to the controversial suggestion that oceanic primary production has been substantially underestimated. If correct, this suggestion also requires that there be a larger input of nitrogen and phosphorus, and it would make it difficult to explain the observed steady-state vertical distribution of properties. Resolution of the controversy is likely to be of broad interest to oceanographers because it may also lead to new insights into oceanic mixing and the cycling of carbon and nitrogen.