Particulate carbohydrate in the euphotic zone of the Bay of Bengal

Abstract

Particulate matter collected from the Bay of Bengal was analysed for carbohydrate and chlorophyll a. The distribution of chlorophyll a was different from that of carbohydrate. Chlorophyll a increased from north to south, whereas carbohydrate levels were higher in the northern Bay region. Carbohydrate/chlorophyll a ratio varied over a wide range (7.7 to 3350). The variations in carbohydrate/chlorophyll a ratio are attributed to differences in runoff from land