Climate of the northern Indian Ocean and associated productivity

Abstract

The climatic factors likely to influence the phytoplankton production in the northern Indian Ocean are examined. The major cause for the high productivity of the Arabian Sea is the nutrient enrichment of the euphotic zone by upwelling especially off the coasts of Somalia, Arabian and the south west coast of India. In Bay of Bengal, the major factor influencing high primary production is the estuarine type of circulation in the northern part. The main features in the distribution of the chlorophyll a and primary production are the high values in the northern and western parts of the Arabian Sea and also along the southern tip of India during May to October. During the period November to April, chlorophyll a is relatively high in the northern Arabian Sea and north eastern parts of Bay of Bengal