VLIZ (2009). Longhurst Biogeographical Provinces. Available online at http://www.marineregions.org/. This dataset represents a partition of the world oceans into provinces as defined by Longhurst (1995; 1998; 2006), and are based on the prevailing role of physical forcing as a regulator of phytoplankton distribution. The dataset represents the initial static boundaries developed at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada. Note that the boundaries of these provinces are not fixed in time and space, but are dynamic and move under seasonal and interannual changes in physical forcing. At the first level of reduction, Longhurst recognised four principal biomes (also referred to as domains in earlier publications): the Polar Biome, the Westerlies Biome, the Trade-Winds Biome, and the Coastal Boundary Zone Biome. These four Biomes are recognisable in every major ocean basin. At the next level of reduction, the ocean basins are partitioned into provinces, roughly ten for each basin. These partitions provide a template for data analysis or for making parameter assignments on a global scale. Please refer to Longhurst's publications when using these shapefiles. Consulted on 2013-06-05. Reference: References: Longhurst, A.R et al. (1995). An estimate of global primary production in the ocean from satellite radiometer data. J. Plankton Res. 17, 1245-1271. Longhurst, A.R. (1995). Seasonal cycles of pelagic production and consumption. Prog. Oceanogr. 36, 77-167. Longhurst, A.R. (1998). Ecological Geography of the Sea. Academic Press, San Diego. 397p. (IMIS). Longhurst, A.R. (2006). Ecological Geography of the Sea. 2nd Edition. Academic Press, San Diego, 560p.