Some Observations on the Chlorophyll Maximum and Primary Production in the Eastern North Pacific

An oceanographic transect between Central California and the Hawaiian Islands delimited a continuous subsurface chlorophyll maximum associated with an oxygen maximum at 1% to 0.1% light penetration depths. The phytoplankton community consisted primarily of nannoplankton with a prominent diatom component, and was photosynthetically active as measured in „low light level”︁ incubators, contributing an estimated 20–30% to total water column production. Functioning as a nutrient trap blocking the vertical movement of nutrients into the upper euphotic zone, the chlorophyll maximum apparently required an overlying pycnocline for development.