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Seasonal variation of pteropods from the Western Arabian Sea sediment trap

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title Seasonal variation of pteropods from the Western Arabian Sea sediment trap
 
Creator Mohan, R.
Verma, K.
Mergulhao, L.P.
Sinha, D.K.
Shanvas, S.
Guptha, M.V.S.
 
Subject Sediment trap
Arabian Sea
 
Description Sediment trap samples collected from the Western Arabian Sea yielded a rich assemblage of intact and non-living (opaque white) pteropod tests from a water depth of 919 m during January to September 1993. Nine species of pteropods were recorded, all (except one) displaying distinct seasonality in abundance, suggesting their response to changing hydrographical conditions influenced by the summer/winter monsoon cycle. Pteropod fluxes increased during the April--May peak of the summer monsoon, and reached maximum levels in the late phase of the southwest summer monsoon, probably due to the shallowing of the mixed layer depth. This shallowing of MLD coupled with enhanced nutrient availability provides ideal conditions for pteropod growth which is also reflected in corresponding fluctuations in the flux of the foraminifer Globigerina bulloides. Pteropod/planktic foraminifer ratios displayed marked seasonal variations, the values increasing during the warmer months of April and May when planktic foraminiferal fluxes declined. The variation in fluxes of calcium carbonate, organic carbon and biogenic opal show positive correlations with fluxes of pteropods and planktic foraminifera. Calcium carbonate followed by biogenic opal was the main contributor to the total particulate flux especially during the SW monsoon. In the study area pteropod flux variations follow the other flux patterns indicating that they too could be used as a potential tool for palaeoclimatic reconstruction of the immediate past.
 
Date 2006-12-01T11:48:59Z
2006-12-01T11:48:59Z
2006
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Geo-Marine Letters, vol.26(5), 265-273p.
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/521
 
Language en
 
Rights An edited version of this paper was published by Springer. Copyright [2006] Springer
 
Format 951072 bytes
application/pdf
 
Publisher Springer