The productivity of the oceans is approximately _____ the annual net primary productivity of the whole biosphere.

Solution:

Primary productivity depends on the plant species inhabiting a particular area. It also depends on a variety of environmental factors, availability of nutrients and photosynthetic capacity of plants.

Therefore, it varies in different types of ecosystems. 

The annual net primary productivity of the whole biosphere is approximately 170 billion tons (dry weight) of organic matter. Of this, despite occupying about 70 per cent of the surface, the productivity of the oceans are only 55 billion tons.

$\frac{170}{55}=\frac{1}{3}$approximately