摘要
The distribution of total organic phosphorus (TOP), total organic nitrogen (TON), and dissolved inorganic nutrients in the middle-to-low latitude zone of the North Pacific was studied. In general, TOP and TON vary from 0.04 to 1.44 μM, and 0.13 to 26.61 μM respectively. TOP and TON are the major components of TP and TN in the surface water, accounting for 57.5%~94.2% of TP and 75.0%~98.4% of TN respectively, with highest concentrations in the surface water and lowest concentrations in the deeper water. TN∶TP ratios in seawater at the stations near 20 °N fluctuate around the Redfield ratio, indicating that the primary productivity in this region was limited by other factors instead of nitrogen and phosphorus.