| ecosystem type | g m^-2 y ^-1 |
| tropical rainforest | 2200 |
tropical seasonal forest |
1600 |
| tropical & subtrop coniferous forest | |
| temperate coniferous evergreen forest | 1300 |
| temperate broadleaf deciduous forest | 1200 |
| boreal forest/Taiga | 800 |
| Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub | |
| woodland and shrubland | 700 |
| savanna | 900 |
| temperate grassland | 600 |
| tundra and alpine | 140 |
| desert and semidesert shrub | 90 |
| extreme desert, rock, sand, and ice | 3 |
| cultivated land | 650 |
| swamp and marsh | 2000 |
| lake and stream | 250 |
| open ocean | 125 |
| upwelling zones | 500 |
| continental shelf | 360 |
| reefs | 2500 |
| estuaries | 1500 |
taken from Table 3-6 - McKinney and Schoch 1998. Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions