Flow of Energy in Marine Ecosystems

SCI 209

Week 5 Assignment

Flow of energy in marine ecosystems

Ms. Smith

March 2, 2015

Carine Runner

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Primary productivity

Primary productivity is the most rudimentary form of life renewal in the oceans, it takes place when the atmosphere and oceanic environments allow life to blossom in the form of very small life forms like diatoms and other organisms that generate the first step in the trophic chain, creating the food for krill and other small animals that at will soon become food for larger animals. When the water is warmed by the sun and the water is infused with nutrients that come from the deepest parts of the oceans. Primary productivity allows the ocean to blossom with life.

Method to measure primary productivity

The most common method in oceanography for measuring primary productivity consist in measuring the activity inside a sealed bottle that contains a water sample from the region and the depth that needs to be examined. The water contains biological activity, these organisms produce oxygen, which can be measured with a chemical reaction, two variables need to be measured, the amount of oxygen produced, the amount of oxygen consumed and the net production of oxygen. Bottles must be sealed to avoid contamination with more oxygen and other environmental factors. Niskin bottles are used to gather the water from the depths of the ocean and then this water is placed in air tight bottles that will fix the life forms and the water will be ready for measuring oxygen.

Color of the ocean

The color of the ocean is related to the primary productivity because it is so ample in life forms that they concentrate in every liter of seawater, changing its color. It can be red and it reflects the diatoms that are contained, the red tides are deadly for fish since they are toxic and they obstruct the respiratory system, they are also deadly for humans. Other colors may possibly be green and brown, when there is a lot of phytoplankton activity, these color come to pass when there is a lot of food boosted with fertilizers, for example. In the end of the rivers when they meet the oceans it is common to see this green color, the algae boosts its activity with the fertilizers. There are other colors like purple and orange, the color basically depends on the species that are in blossoming.