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THE CONCEPT OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION 1
Author(s) -
Platt Trevor
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1969.14.5.0653
Subject(s) - nova scotia , primary productivity , chlorophyll a , primary (astronomy) , productivity , linear regression , attenuation , environmental science , bay , photosynthesis , chlorophyll , photosynthetic efficiency , mathematics , atmospheric sciences , statistics , physics , optics , nutrient , oceanography , ecology , geology , biology , botany , astrophysics , macroeconomics , economics
The use of efficiency factors in primary productivity studies is discussed. A coefficient k b is defined which measures the contribution of photosynthetic processes to the total optical attenuation coefficient. It is shown that to a first order approximation, k b at any depth is given by the ratio of the primary production to the incident radiation at that depth, when both are expressed in calories. Values of k b are calculated for two stations in St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia. At any depth, k b depends linearly on the chlorophyll concentration at that depth. Errors involved in measuring k b are discussed and suggestions made for increasing precision. It is suggested that k b could be used as an index to compare the primary productivity of waters and that the regression of k b on the chlorophyll concentration could be used as a predictive tool in primary production research.