The biotic balance in the ocean and estimation of the organic matter flux from the epipelagial made on the basis of satellites and field data

On the basis of satellite estimation of chlorophyll concentration in the ne ar-surface layers and correlated distribution of various ecosystem paramete rs (which had been revealed during the ecosystem cruises of Oceanology Inst itute, Russian Academy of Sciences), the elements of biotic balance of the oceanic pelagial were calculated. Algorithms described earlier have allowed to calculate values of production of the main ecosystem components (phytop lankton, bacteria, protrozoans, mesoplankton) in trophically variable ocean ic areas. The shares of these components in the total heterotrophic destruc tion were evaluated. The rates of detritus production and values of its flu x from epipelagial to depths >200 m were calculated. In various areas value s of this flux range from 18 to 5% of the primary photoshynthetic productio n and from 50 to 15% of the total detritus production in the upper 200-m la yer. The total heterotrophic destruction in the oceanic epipelagial (0-200 m) was estimated as 86 x 10(9) t C per year and the biotic balance appears when the value of the total primary production is 100 x 109 t per year.