<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><P id=title>Are ocean deserts getting larger?</DIV>
<DIV style="DISPLAY: none" id=texttitle> </DIV>
<P class=author>Andrew J. Irwin</DIV>
<P class=affiliation>Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada</DIV>
<P class=author>Matthew J. Oliver</DIV>
<P class=affiliation>School of Marine Science and Policy, College of Earth Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware, Lewes, Delaware, USA</DIV>
<DIV class=abstract>
<DIV>The spatial and temporal dynamics of ocean biomes and their provincial subdivisions are affected by the dynamics of Earth's climate system, but the effect of climate change on the distribution and variability of ocean biomes and provinces is largely unknown. A time-series analysis from multiple satellite platforms shows that the lowest productivity provinces have been growing over the last decade and that the growth rates of these provinces increase as they get larger, and decrease as they get smaller. The most oligotrophic provinces of the ocean grow by reducing the size of the slightly less oligotrophic provinces. As a consequence, while the ocean's most extreme deserts are increasing at an accelerating rate, some oligotrophic areas are simultaneously shrinking. The aggregate area of the oligotrophic provinces oscillated in phase with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation Index from 1998–2007. </DIV></DIV>
<DIV id=citationbox>
<P id=dates>Received <SPAN id=received>1 July 2009</SPAN>; accepted <SPAN id=accepted>19 August 2009</SPAN>; published <SPAN id=published>26 September 2009</SPAN>. </DIV>
<P id=citation><SPAN class=bold><B>Citation: </B></SPAN><SPAN id=authors><SPAN id=first-author>Irwin, A. J.</SPAN>, and M. J. Oliver</SPAN> (<SPAN id=year>2009</SPAN>), <SPAN class=title>Are ocean deserts getting larger?</SPAN>, <SPAN id=journal><SPAN class=ital><I>Geophys. Res. Lett.</I></SPAN></SPAN>, <SPAN id=volume><SPAN class=ital>36</SPAN></SPAN>, L18609, doi:10.1029/2009GL039883. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>saludos cordiales</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Raul E. Sánchez Scaglioni</DIV></DIV></td></tr></table><br>