A View from the Back of the Envelope top

net primary productivity
Scale of some things
Landmarks

Pre-release Draft


kg(C)/m2/yr kg(C)/m2/s
10-2 10-9
10-1 10-8
100 10-7

Landmarks

average net primary productivity
of greenish areas10-8 kg(Carbon)/m2/s
of open ocean & desert10-9 kg(Carbon)/m2/s

A View from the Back of the Envelope
Comments encouraged. - Mitchell N Charity <mcharity@lcs.mit.edu> 

Doables:
 Explain kg(C).  As atoms,cells /s.
 kg(total) vs kg(C)
 what is peak productivity?
 connect w biomass

Notes:
 kg/m^2/yr = kg/m^2/(10^7x3.156)s
 0.01 to 1 is 10^-9 to 10^-7

From [Cow, p 257]:
ecosystem - ave net primary productivity kg(C)/m^2/yr - kg(C)/m^2/s(x10^-8) - 
swamp and marsh            1.13     3.6
algal bed and reef         0.90     2.9
tropical forests           0.83     2.6
estuaries                  0.81     2.6
temperate forests          0.56     1.8
boreal forests             0.36     1.1
savanna                    0.32     1.0
cultivated land            0.29     0.92
woodland and shurbland     0.27     0.86
grassland                  0.23     0.73
lake and stream            0.23     0.73
upwelling zones            0.23     0.73
continental shelf          0.16     0.51
tundra and alpine meadow   0.065    0.21
open ocean                 0.057    0.18
desert scrub               0.032    0.10
rock, ice, and sand        0.015    0.048

Range 10^2.  

History:
 1997.Aug.16  Initial scribbles.