The pelagic biogeography of the world &apos; s oceans is comparatively well studied, based upon reviews of the distribution of various groups of planktonic organisms (e.g. McGowan 1971, Gibbons 1997, Pierrot-Bults and van der Spoel 1998) and more recently, through the use of remote sensing data to define global ocean productivity regimes (Longhurst 1998).
The pelagic biogeography of the world &apos; s oceans is comparatively well studied, based upon reviews of the distribution of various groups of planktonic organisms (e.g. McGowan 1971, Gibbons 1997, Pierrot-Bults and van der Spoel 1998) and more recently, through the use of remote sensing data to define global ocean productivity regimes (Longhurst 1998).