The ocean is not uniform in biological productivity (the growth of plant and animal life). Instead, certain areas are many times more productive than others, largely reflecting differences in the supply of plant nutrients to surface water. One of the most dramatic examples of this in the world ocean is the equatorial area in the eastern Pacific Ocean and perhaps as much as 10% of all ocean productivity occurs here. The Biological Oceanography Program recommends Dr. Barber's work for funding that involves large scale study of the productivity in this area. This study expands on Dr. Barber's excellent earlier work on the productivity and temporal variability in the Peru coastal upwelling area and marks one of the first award recommendations in Biological Oceanography for a project dealing explicitly with productivity at a global ocean level. Such studies are crucial to our ability to monitor and predict large scale anthropogenic changes in the cycling of elements such as carbon which is both supplied to the atmosphere from upwelled water and absorbed from it by rapid phytoplankton growth. The project uses ship time on an ongoing NOAA project (EPOCS) in the area, and hence the NSF funding would leverage the availability of this existing platform. The reviewers felt that the work addressed a significant aspect of marine productivity and that Barber's past accomplishments and expertise in the area augured well for the success of the project. In summary, the Biological Oceanography program recommends funding Dr. Barber's proposal at the request level. Funding level: FY89 - $89,828
