Seasonal variability of the vertical fluxes of Globigerina bulloides (D'Orbigny) in the northern Indian Ocean

Abstract

Settling particles intercepted using time-series sediment traps at seven locations in the northern Indian Ocean have been examined for the spatial and temporal variability in the distribution and fluxes of Globigerina bulloides (D'Orbigny). In general, G. bulloides exhibits a bimodal distribution pattern related to the summer and winter monsoons. Its fluxes increase from east to west in the Arabian Sea, and from north to south in the Bay of Bengal. They show a good correlation with sea surface temperature (SST) at three sites located in the central and southern Arabian Sea and in the southern Bay of Bengal. The observed relationship between SST and shell size is more complex with the length cooling period rather than SST differences influencing the shell size