Table 3. Indices of Carrying Capacity. The fundamental assumption is that these indices will be compared as deviations from the mean ("anomalies").

	Small Scale	Mesoscale	Large Scale
Forcing	Ice Turbulence Internal waves Light penetration	Ice Mixed layer depth Convergence Eddies, jets Light Penetration Fronts, currents Fe input Variation in surface wind stress Species Composition	Ice Gyres, rings Fe input Light penetration Mixed layer depth Variation in surface wind stress (ENSO, Aleutian low, Kelvin wave trapped in coastal zone)
Phytoplankton	Nutrient kinetics Photosynthetic kinetics	Size, chlorophyll concentration Primary productivity rates Nutrient concentrations Isotope rations (e.g., N-15) (Remote sensing (chlorophyll, etc.)	Remote sensing (chlorophyll, etc.)
Herbivores	Grazing thresholds Reproductive performance Patchiness	Condition index (fat content) Reproductive performance Productivity/Biomass Species composition Survival, size structure Biomass	Reproductive performance Growth rate Geographic distribution Survival, size structure
Small Carnivores	Foraging thresholds Reproductive performance Patchiness	Condition index (fat content) Reproductive performance Productivity/Biomass Species composition Survival, size structure Biomass	Growth rate, diet shift Reproductive performance Geographic distribution Survival, size structure Fish growth rates
Large Carnivores	Foraging thresholds Reproductive performance Patchiness Changes of foraging behavior	Condition index (fat content) Reproductive performance (e.g., fecundity, natality) Productivity/Biomass Species composition Survival, size structure Biomass, diet shift Changes of foraging behavior Reproductive success Geographic distribution	Condition index (fat content) Reproductive performance (e.g., fecundity, natality) Productivity/Biomass Species composition Survival, size structure Biomass, diet shift Changes of foraging behavior Reproductive success Geographic distribution
Ecosystem Interactions (competition, predation,etc)		Vertical flux of particles Ecological efficiency Size spectrum theory Species composition Predation rates (human vs other)	Vertical flux of particles Ecological efficiency Size spectrum theory Species composition Predation rates (human vs other)