Primary production
We research chemical, biological and physical controls on primary production in the surface ocean.
The ocean is responsible for about half of global primary production. It is a major absorber of the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) released by human activities.
Key research questions
- What controls the flow of energy from the sun into ocean ecosystems?
- What are the controls on phytoplankton distributions and productivity?
- How do bioactive trace elements (Fe, Zn, Co) drive or limit primary production in the surface ocean?
- How does availability of iron control nitrogen fixation?
- How does resource limitation (for example availability of light and nutrients) restrict the activity of marine phytoplankton and the biogeochemical processes they influence?