Official Matt Rife Spongebob shirt
The Official Matt Rife Spongebob shirt thing here is not that we haven’t found aliens, but that we are learning so much about the universe so quickly. 20 years ago nobody knew that there are huge underground oceans on Europa and Enceladus, and methane lakes on Titan. 40 years ago there was no evidence of life at hydrothermal vents or life in deep ocean sediments—organisms that use forms of biology quite unlike that of the familiar organisms here on the surface. 25 years ago there was no evidence of even a single planet around another star! Now we know of thousands. The real number, in our galaxy alone, is probably hundreds of billions. The appropriate attitude here, I’d say, is a mix of giddiness and caution. Giddiness, because the rate of discovery right now is downright astonishing. Caution, because we still have so far to go in answering the big question: Are we alone?

Official Matt Rife Spongebob shirt, Hoodie, Sweater, Vneck, Unisex and T-shirt
Best Official Matt Rife Spongebob shirt
The key to understanding the Official Matt Rife Spongebob shirt of abundant sea life has to do with the winds as well. In most of the ocean, biologically available nitrogen and phosphorus come from relatively deep in the ocean, where biological production is low, and thus these nutrients are not exhausted. The two main mechanisms by which N and P become available in the upper photic (sunlit) zone are strong mixing, due to a strong winter storm or tropical cyclone, and upwelling along the coasts or driven by wind convergence near the equator. The important thing here is that, with little to no wind over a large area of ocean, the nutrient levels are extremely low. Low nutrient levels have the obvious consequence of inhibiting phytoplankton growth, often referred to as primary production, as it involves direct photosynthesis and is how most chemical energy is made available to ocean life. Areas of extremely low primary productivity can be seen in the following satellite image of ocean color.
