Estimating phytoplankton productivity from light availability and biomass in the MERL mesocosms and Narragansett Bay

Abstract

Recent research has suggested that primary productivity in estuarine waters can be predicted as a function of phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a concentration) multiplied by light availability in the photic zone (photic depth times incident irradiance). The applicability of this function was confirmed using data from 1010 super(14)C incubations (during 1978 to 1984) from 4 diverse mesocosm experiments and Narragansett Bay. For each experiment 70 to 80% of the variation in productivity was explained by the composite function. A regression equation developed from all experiments explained 82% of the variation in primary productivity. Phytoplankton production was correlated with biomass alone on a seasonal basis.