Interannual variability of chlorophyll-a and impact of extreme climatic events in the South Eastern Arabian Sea

Abstract

South Eastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) is an upwelling dominated region, where the distribution of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) is mainly controlled by basin-scale to mesoscale processes associated with seasonal reversal of winds and currents. The analysis of long-term satellite-derived Chl-a data revealed interannual variability in association with extreme climatic events. Chl-a data were obtained from Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) which provides high resolution cloud free data for the Arabian Sea during summer monsoon season (June to September). Satellite measurements of Sea Level Anomaly (SLA), Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and sea surface wind data were also compiled from various sources. The monthly data for the above environmental variables during 1998 to 2016 were analysed as representatives of the possible causative physical processes influencing the variability in Chl-a. The time series and Hovmöller analyses shows that the maximum variability occurred during summer monsoon. This study shows that the interannual variability in Chl-a was prominently influenced by the underlying processes involved in coastal upwelling. The relative variability in Chl-a and associated environmental variables with these events was remarkable during strong El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events. Cross Correlation Function (CCF) analysis points out that Chl-a content is negatively correlated with IOD to an extent of one month lag or less whereas, ENSO does not indicate such direct relations. Further, the variability associated with IOD was more conspicuous than ENSO. The study elucidates the interannual variability of Chl-a and the overall influence of associated extreme events in the SEAS.