Table X. Comparison of Organic Phosphorus values (msA/I) for Selected Depth Levels 

 in Observations Between Labrador and Greenland in 1962 and 1963 



portions of the water column are given in table X. In addition, all 

 the depths below 1,000 meters are combined to obtain a value for 

 comparison with the surface (0-1,000 m.) interval. Values for both 

 1962 and 1963 are given. The only significant difference occurs in 

 the bottom depth interval, below 3,000 meters. The greatly increased 

 value in 1963 is shown in figure 34 to be due mainly to conditions on 

 the eastern side of the basin. At levels near the surface, the organic 

 phosphorus distribution is little altered in the 2 years, especially 

 when the range of the standard error is considered. These observa- 

 tions represent presumably the high levels of organic productivity 

 during the summer. The data may be compared to similar values 

 for the eastern and western North Atlantic at more southern latitudes 

 (McGill, 1964). 



Information on the relative abundance of the inorganic nutrients 

 can be obtained from a comparison of the reported concentrations. 

 A least squares regression for the 1962 data gives the following general 

 ratios by atoms for the relative changes in concentration within the 

 total water column: 



AN:ASi:AP=18.2:17.5:l. 



This is close to the general average for these ratios of change in sea 

 water, which has been given by Richards (1957) as: 



AN:ASi:AP=16:16:l. 



A similar determination for the data from 1963 results in ratios of: 



AN:ASi:AP=26. 5:11.8:1. 



Such ratios describe the biological effects of both assimilation and 

 regeneration, assuming that mixing processes have not obscured or 

 modified the conditions. No direct observations of the biological 

 conditions are available for further interpretation of the pattern 



70 



