Distributions of phytoplankton carbohydrate, protein and lipid in the world oceans from satellite ocean colour.

ABSTRACT: Energy value of phytoplankton regulates the growth of higher trophic species, affecting the tropic balance and sustainability of marine food webs. Therefore, developing our capability to estimate and monitor, on a global scale, the concentrations of macromolecules that determine phytoplankton energy value, would be invaluable. Reported here are the first estimates of carbohydrate, protein, lipid, and overall energy value of phytoplankton in the world oceans, using ocean-colour data from satellites. The estimates are based on a novel bio-optical method that utilises satellite-derived bio-optical fingerprints of living phytoplankton combined with allometric relationships between phytoplankton cells and cellular macromolecular contents. The annually averaged phytoplankton energy value, per cu

SUBMITTER: Roy S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5955997 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature