Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. It is typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level.[5] and is not distributed evenly, generally being richest in the tropics.[6] Marine biodiversity is usually highest along coasts in the Western Pacific, where sea surface temperature is highest, and in the mid-latitudinal band in all oceans.[7] Biodiversity generally tends to cluster in hotspots,[8] and has been increasing through time,[9][10] but will be likely to slow in the future.[11]