Phytoplankton response to nutrients was examined with a 26‐yr database from the Delaware Estuary. Biomassnormalized primary production did not increase linearly with increasing nutrient concentrations and instead showed saturation at comparatively low nutrient concentrations and decreased at high concentrations. To separate the effects of light availability and temperature on primary production from those of other environmenta...

The vast majority of organic matter in the world ocean is found in the dissolved pool. However, no evidence has been demonstrated for direct uptake of bulk dissolved organic matter (DOM) by organisms other than bacteria and some invertebrate larvae. The total organic carbon (TOC) is 10—30% higher in coral reefs than in adjacent open waters. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) accounts for >90% of the TOC. Using a new in situ te...