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Carbon fixation and oxygen evolution by phytoplankton in the Canadian high arctic

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Summary

In the Canadian high arctic, in summer, in situ profiles of oxygen evolution and carbon fixation by phytoplankton showed excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with an apparent photosynthetic quotient in the range from 1.3 to 1.8. Water column photosynthesis was linear in the available light at the surface. Daily rates photosynthesis exceeded 1 mg C m-2 d-1, implying a minimal estimate for annual production in the range from 35 to 70 g C m-2 y-1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Oceanography Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, B2Y 4A2, Dartmouth, NS, Canada

    Trevor Platt, William G. Harrison, Edward P. W. Horne & Brian Irwin

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  1. Trevor Platt
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  2. William G. Harrison
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  3. Edward P. W. Horne
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  4. Brian Irwin
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Platt, T., Harrison, W.G., Horne, E.P.W. et al. Carbon fixation and oxygen evolution by phytoplankton in the Canadian high arctic. Polar Biol 8, 103–113 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297064

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297064

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