Data on primary production in the Bering Sea and adjacent Northern Pacific

Primary production was measured with the aid of the radiocarbon method at 112 stations in the subarctic Pacific during the decline of the spring phytoplankton maximum in late June. The ranges of integrated production under 1 m 2 were 0.17-4.13 g C day -1 in the Western basin, 0.12-6.70 g C day -1 in the shelf areas, 0.22-1.29 g C day -1 in the central Bering Sea and 0.25-1.48 g C day -1 in the Northern Pacific. Corresponding averages were 0.94 g C day -1 in the Western basin, 1.55 g C day -1 in the shelf areas, 0.72 g C day -1 in the central Bering Sea and 0.76 g C m -2 day -1 in the north Pacific. At stations with surface temperatures below 5-6°C, where the spring diatom 'blooms' still proceded, the phytoplankton populations were accumulating in the upper 5-15 m layer, while at stations with higher surface temperatures (>6-8°C), the phytoplankton settled down to 20-40 m together with the deepening of the upper thermocline. The assimilation numbers of chlorophyll (Chl) and specific production coefficients in the Bering Sea are given, as well as the diurnal photosynthesis curves. The aspects of annual primary production in the Bering Sea and the features of phytoplankton ecology in the subarctic Pacific are discussed.