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X Demographics
Mendeley readers
Attention Score in Context
| Title |
The Whale Pump: Marine Mammals Enhance Primary Productivity in a Coastal Basin
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, October 2010
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0013255 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Joe Roman, James J. McCarthy |
| Abstract |
It is well known that microbes, zooplankton, and fish are important sources of recycled nitrogen in coastal waters, yet marine mammals have largely been ignored or dismissed in this cycle. Using field measurements and population data, we find that marine mammals can enhance primary productivity in their feeding areas by concentrating nitrogen near the surface through the release of flocculent fecal plumes. Whales and seals may be responsible for replenishing 2.3×10(4) metric tons of N per year in the Gulf of Maine's euphotic zone, more than the input of all rivers combined. This upward "whale pump" played a much larger role before commercial harvest, when marine mammal recycling of nitrogen was likely more than three times atmospheric N input. Even with reduced populations, marine mammals provide an important ecosystem service by sustaining productivity in regions where they occur in high densities. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 52 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 11 | 21% |
| Canada | 3 | 6% |
| Netherlands | 2 | 4% |
| Iceland | 1 | 2% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 2% |
| Uruguay | 1 | 2% |
| Japan | 1 | 2% |
| Spain | 1 | 2% |
| Australia | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown | 30 | 58% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 40 | 77% |
| Scientists | 10 | 19% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 4% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 831 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 12 | 1% |
| Mexico | 4 | <1% |
| United Kingdom | 4 | <1% |
| Germany | 3 | <1% |
| Brazil | 3 | <1% |
| Chile | 2 | <1% |
| Argentina | 2 | <1% |
| Canada | 2 | <1% |
| Italy | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 9 | 1% |
| Unknown | 789 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 148 | 18% |
| Student > Master | 126 | 15% |
| Researcher | 124 | 15% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 124 | 15% |
| Other | 40 | 5% |
| Other | 117 | 14% |
| Unknown | 152 | 18% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 346 | 42% |
| Environmental Science | 166 | 20% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 62 | 7% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 26 | 3% |
| Social Sciences | 10 | 1% |
| Other | 51 | 6% |
| Unknown | 170 | 20% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 457. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 28 April 2024.
All research outputs
#61,553
of 25,867,969 outputs
Outputs from PLOS ONE
#1,045
of 225,574 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#100
of 109,936 outputs
Outputs of similar age from PLOS ONE
#7
of 903 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,867,969 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 225,574 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 15.9. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 109,936 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 903 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.