Why are there so many more algae in the open ocean closer to the Arctic/Antarctic ?
I saw this map https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere#/media/File:Seawifs_global_biosphere.jpg on Wikipedia. It shows where on Earth there are the most light-eating creatures (so plants and algae, I guess). I immediately noticed that in the open ocean, there's a band of algae going across the equator, and a lot going on the poles, but the ocean is weirdly empty in between. Why is that? Wouldn't it make more sense for there to be light-eating things closer to where the sun is? #science