Ocean annual phytoplankton carbon and new production, and annual export production estimated with empirical equations and CZCS data

Empirical equations are parameterized for use with chlorophyll a, derived f rom satellite ocean colour data, to calculate phytoplankton carbon producti on, phytoplankton new production, and export production. For environments i n a high variance (HV) pigment statistical class, annual phytoplankton part iculate organic carbon production (AIP) is linearly related to annual avera ge in situ chlorophyll a within the near-surface layer. Linear relations we re also obtained between AIP and annual new nitrogen production, and betwee n AIP and particulate organic carbon annually exported from the euphotic zo ne for environments in that class. We found no relation between AIP and C-S FC, or between the annual production variables, for oceanic environments ch aracterized by low pigment variance (LV). Ratios of export production to AI P, called e, and new production to nitrogen annually used in phytoplankton production, called f, are widely used to express marine food web processes. The trends of these ratios with AIP differ between HV and LV environments. This is a result of differences in the coupling between nitrogen and carbo n transfer in pelagic food webs, which contain different organism size clas ses in HV compared to LV environments. We applied the empirical equations t o CZCS data to estimate global new and export production. The HV environmen ts are responsible for about 40% of global ocean annual phytoplankton carbo n production and 70% of global ocean annual new and export production.