system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
If I had samples from all four oceans, could I tell which sample was from which ocean?

Let's say I have samples from the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Indian Oceans that are completely devoid of life (so no looking at the plankton, if that makes a difference). Would I be able to say which sample came from which ocean?
gpt
Kind of. The Pacific Ocean is rich in Iron which is thought to be brought by the winds from the Gobi Desert. Iron is a limiting nutrient because it's needed for nitrogen fixation in phytoplankton. The Atlantic Ocean, however, has high nitrogen but low iron. Look up HNLC (High-nutrient, low-chlorophyll) and the Redfield Ratio (which is the golden ratio 106C:16N:1P). These hypotheses are the basis for what determines how productive an area of the ocean will be (since productivity is determined by the bottom of the food chain)