Long-term responses of phytoplankton biomass to the ocean surface variables in the central parts of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal

Abstract

The northern Indian Ocean has been warming steadily for over a half-century, especially the north-western Indian Ocean. It is widely reported that the increasing sea surface temperature in the global oceans decreases phytoplankton biomass and productivity. The impacts of long-term variations in the sea surface properties on the phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) are least studied in the northern Indian Ocean. In this study, we have retrieved satellite, model, and ARGO float data sets to investigate the long-term variations in the distributions and trends of major oceanic variables for a better understanding of the respective changes that occurred in chlorophyll a concentration in the central regions of the Arabian Sea (AS) and the Bay of Bengal (BB). We have selected variables such as sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), euphotic depth (ZEU), mixed layer depth (MLD), wind speed, mean sea level anomaly (MSLA), surface currents, etc., to relate with chlorophyll a. We found significant increasing trends in SST and positive-MSLA in both basins, and the chlorophyll a was decreased in the AS but contrastingly increased in the BB. Further data analysis revealed the possible reasons, such as seasonal changes in mean sea level anomaly and meridional currents, for the increasing trend of chlorophyll a in the central Bay of Bengal. The northward flow of the meridional currents during the southwest monsoon (SWM), transports the nutrient-rich water from the coastal upwelling zone of the southwest coast of India to the southern and central BB, and enhances chlorophyll a. Contrastingly, the southward flow of low-saline and nutrient-depleted Bay of Bengal water reduces the chlorophyll a. In addition, the large area of cold-core eddies found during the NEM enhanced the chlorophyll a in the central BB. Though contrasting trends between both basins in chlorophyll a distribution were found, the mean concentration of chlorophyll a in the northern Indian Ocean decreases. The present study signifies the importance of monsoon currents and eddies in regulating the chlorophyll a biomass and primary productivity in the AS and BB.