Primary Production in the Oceans

The various sources of organic compounds in the oceans are shown in Figure 9.1 and tabulated in Table 9.1. As is apparent from Table 9.1, the major source of organic compounds to the ocean is from the primary production of marine plants (Falkowski, 2012). This primary production is the result of the growth of these organisms as a result of photosynthetic processes. It provides the basis of the marine food chain that culminates in fish and mammals. The plants remove CO₂ and micronutrients from the water and, using solar energy, convert them to complex organic compounds. The simple reaction for the formation of carbohydrates is 9.1 https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> CO 2 + H 2 O → light CH 2 O + O 2 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429096631/3832ab00-3454-4bf6-af5b-7cfe32e103df/content/equ9_1.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>