Overview on Primary Production in the Southwestern Atlantic

LUTZ, V.; SEGURA, V.; DOGLIOTTI, A.I.; TAVANO, V.; BRANDINI, F.; CALLIARI, D.; CIOTTI, A.M.; VILLAFAÑE, V.; SCHLOSS, I.; SALDANHA-CORRÊA, F.; BENAVIDES, H.R.; VIZZIANO-CANTONNET, D.

Plankton Ecology of the Southwestern Atlantic ‒ From the Subtropical to the Subantarctic realm

Springer

Año: 2018;

Photosynthesis is the fundamentalprocess by which autotrophs produce organic matter to sustain the biosphereusing basic elements (i.e., CO2 and H2O) and solarirradiance as energy source. Marine phytoplankton provides near half of theglobal primary production (PP), being at the base of most marine trophic websand playing an important role in the cycling of atmospheric CO2.Therefore, it is crucial to estimate and understand the relationships between environmentalconditions and PP rates in the global ocean. There are scarce field estimationsof PP in the southern hemisphere and in the Southwestern Atlantic in particular. Hence, global estimates are generally madeusing indirect methods, such as satellite or biogeochemical models, whichshould be validated and adjusted with field data to produce reliable results. In this section we synthesize theavailable information, assembling recent field PP estimations obtained byresearch groups from Argentina,Brazil, and Uruguay. Weevaluate the insights derived from this integrated data set on the spatial andtemporal dynamics of the phytoplankton production in the Southwestern Atlantic. In addition, a general view of the spatial-temporalvariation in PP at a regional scale using a simple satellite PP model ispresented. Finally, we offer perspectives and recommendations for futurestudies.