Aono Raina High Sea

South of the equator and west of the Line Islands, the South Equatorial Current carries surface water across the central Pacific. Trade winds help bring cooler, nitrate-rich water upward near the equator; as that water spreads away from the equator, phytoplankton consume some of its nitrate. Even in this productive belt, the scarcity of iron can limit the growth of the tiny organisms that feed the ocean's larger creatures.