Primary Production of the Biosphere: Integrating Terrestrial and Oceanic Components

1998/07/10 by Christopher B. Field, Michael J. Behrenfeld, James T. Randerson +1 · 6,415 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics #Atmospheric sciences #Biology #Biomass (ecology) #Biosphere #Blue carbon #Carbon cycle #Carbon dioxide #Carbon fibers #Carbon flux #Carbon sequestration #Carbon sink #Climate change #Computer science #Ecology #Ecosystem #Environmental science #Geology #Isotope Analysis in Ecology #Marine and coastal ecosystems #Oceanography #Primary (astronomy) #Primary production #Satellite

paper · open access · doi:10.1126/science.281.5374.237

published in Science 281(5374), 237-240 (American Association for the Advancement of Science)

openalex publication_date 1998/07/10 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Integrating conceptually similar models of the growth of marine and terrestrial primary producers yielded an estimated global net primary production (NPP) of 104.9 petagrams of carbon per year, with roughly equal contributions from land and oceans. Approaches based on satellite indices of absorbed solar radiation indicate marked heterogeneity in NPP for both land and oceans, reflecting the influence of physical and ecological processes. The spatial and temporal distributions of ocean NPP are consistent with primary limitation by light, nutrients, and temperature. On land, water limitation imposes additional constraints. On land and ocean, progressive changes in NPP can result in altered carbon storage, although contrasts in mechanisms of carbon storage and rates of organic matter turnover result in a range of relations between carbon storage and changes in NPP.

Citations

• Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems
• Solar Radiation and Productivity in Tropical Ecosystems
• Terrestrial ecosystem production: A process model based on global satellite and surface data
• The Trophic‐Dynamic Aspect of Ecology

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