Skip to main content

Light and Nutrient Availability Across Habitats

This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.

State

Light limits photosynthesis with water depth and canopy cover; nutrient availability in water depends on mixing that returns sunken organic matter to the surface.

Show

Ocean upwelling returns nutrient-rich deep water to the surface where sunlight again supports photosynthesis.

Watch for

A nutrient-poor surface layer does not mean an aquatic ecosystem lacks nutrients — they may be sequestered at depth instead.