Marine Life in the North Pacific Ocean: the known, unknown and unknowable
Books - Book
31 Jan 2005
The Pacific is the largest ocean in the world and therefore has a significant influence on climate and the functioning of the Earth system. As the terminus of the oceanic "conveyorbelt" circulation system, the North Pacific Ocean contains some of the world's oldest water. This report examines what is "known" about its marine life, identifies the critical "unknowns" of marine life, and considers what might be fundamentally "unknowable" about marine life in the North Pacific Ocean. The report was a collaborative effort of the Census of Marine Life (CoML) and the North Pacific Marine Science Organisation (PICES). It focuses on "core" census information such as taxonomy, distribution, and abundance, and on "function"- related information such as life histories, productivity, and spatial and temporal variability for several key groups of organisms: bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, zooplankton, nonexploited fishes and invertebrates, exploited fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, and marine mammals.
Author: Mc Kinnell, S.
Organizer: North Pacific Marine Science Organization
Location: Sidney, Canada
