Comparative Productivity and Biomass Yields of the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the East Sea LMEs

Abstract

Although ocean color satellite data have provided a new avenue to assess ocean primary productivity on a global basis, the accuracy of these estimates is not always warranted in coastal regions. Many coastal regions belong to Case 2 waters where constituents other than phytoplankton pigments can alter the optical properties. In these waters, chlorophyll-a concentrations are prone to be overestimated. The attenuation coefficient of PAR (photosynthetically active radiation), another important variable in calculating ocean primary productivity, is also a problematic variable to be derived from satellite data. Photosynthetic capacity and slope of light dependence are fundamental physiological parameters not directly measured or estimated from satellite but must be estimated using empirical relationship with other variables. All these sources of error result in a substantial error of primary production estimation in some coastal region, for which the Yellow Sea is a good example. Here we recalculated the primary productivity of the three adjacent seas (Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and East Sea) using regional chlorophyll-a algorithm and comparable primary production algorithm for the period 1998-2013.where constituents other than phytoplankton pigments can alter the optical properties. In these waters, chlorophyll-a concentrations are prone to be overestimated. The attenuation coefficient of PAR (photosynthetically active radiation), another important variable in calculating ocean primary productivity, is also a problematic variable to be derived from satellite data. Photosynthetic capacity and slope of light dependence are fundamental physiological parameters not directly measured or estimated from satellite but must be estimated using empirical relationship with other variables. All these sources of error result in a substantial error of primary production estimation in some coastal region, for which the Yellow Sea is a good example. Here we recalculated the primary productivity of the three adjacent seas (Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and East Sea) using regional chlorophyll-a algorithm and comparable primary production algorithm for the period 1998-2013.