Macronutrients persist in the surface layer of the equatorial Pacific Ocean because the production of phytoplankton is limited; the nature of this limitation has yet to be resolved. Measurements of photosynthesis as a function of irradiance (P-I) provide information on the control of primary productivity, a question of great biogeochemical...
Biological, optical, and hydrographical data were collected on the WEC88 cruise along 150°W and during a 6-day time series station on the equator during February/March 1988. This area was characterized by a subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM), located at 50–70 m depth at the equator and descending down to 120–125 m...