ABSTRACT
The Mediterranean in general and the Eastern Mediterranean in particular is a unique ocean. The concentration of dissolved nutrients in the deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean is much lower than those in other oceans of the world, and when these are mixed into the surface waters they support very low primary productivity. The Mediterranean in general, and the Eastern Mediterranean in particular, has a large excess of evaporation over precipitation. The structure of the water column across the Eastern Mediterranean carries many of the characteristics of a typical tropical structure. Heterotrophic bacteria are an important component of oligotrophic pelagic environments in general and of the Eastern Mediterranean in particular. The Eastern Mediterranean is unusual in being the largest body of water in the world in which the primary productivity is phosphorus limited. The annual phytoplankton bloom occurs in winter as soon as deep mixing occurs and ceases when the phosphate is depleted.
