highly significantP < 0.001
Benthic biomass was inferred from flux at 500 m above the seabed [poc.flx.mean = POC flux at 500 m above seafloor (mg C m −2 day −1 )] using a previously published highly significant statistical relationship ( P < 0.001) between a large spatially referenced database of benthic biomasses (mg C m −2 ) of meiofauna (mei.biom), macrofauna (mac.biom), and megafauna (meg.biom) and POC flux at 500 m above seafloor estimated from satellite data ( Wei et al. , 2010 ).