Algal Productivity of the Tropical Pacific as Determined by Isotope Tracer Techniques

Abstract

The original proposal by the University of Hawaii in March of 1953 was to undertake a program to develop and evaluate methods utilizing radioisotopes in the field for the determination of marine primary productivity. It was visualized that carbon-14 would be employed in the development and evaluation of the principal techniques and that these techniques would be extended to a) the determination of the variations and rates of organic productivity in the tropical Central Pacific, b) to a study of the effect of "island land masses" on marine productivity, c) to compare tropical and temperate oceanic productivity utilizing not only results obtained on this contract but the results obtained by others as well, and d) to make a comparison of the methods developed on this contract with the techniques others have developed for the same purposes. It was envisaged that significant information would be obtained concerning the mechanics as well as the ecology of marine algal productivity.