Despite several decades of research, the magnitude and variability of biological production in the sea is poorly known. This is because until recently these measurements relied on incubation experiments done on discrete sampling from ships. The advent of remote sensing (from airplanes or satellites) of ocean properties, has the potential to greatly improve our estimates of marine biological productivity. This work will make direct measurements of surface ocean phytoplankton (plant) characteristics coupled to remotely sensed optical measurements. The work will be done in a biologically dynamic region off southern California and should result in a significantly enhanced capability to predict ocean productivity from remote measurements.
