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Seasonal oxygen deficiency over the western continental shelf of India

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title Seasonal oxygen deficiency over the western continental shelf of India
 
Creator Naqvi, S.W.A.
Naik, H.
Jayakumar, D.A.
Shailaja, M.S.
Narvekar, P.V.
 
Subject primary production
oxic conditions
nitrogen cycle
denitrification
nitrous oxide
biogeochemical cycle
mineralization
continental margins
photosynthesis
continental shelves
 
Description The North Indian Ocean contains about two-third of the global continental-margin area affected by natural oxygen deficiency (O2 less than 0.2 mL L sup(-1)) in the water column. Also, the littoral countries of this semi-enclosed basin account for a quarter of the world's population, making the sensitive O2 -depleted environment especially vulnerable to anthropogenic perturbations. Factors responsible for the occurrence of O2 deficient conditions, their evolution over the annual cycle, and their impact on biology and chemistry off the west coast of India are described here. The O2 deficiency in this region, associated with the seasonal (southwest monsoon) upwelling, seems to have intensified in recent years, presumably in response to enhanced nitrogen loading from land. The O2 deficiency affects patterns of organic production and distribution of organisms including commercially important fishes, and modifies chemical fluxes through microbial reduction of polyvalent elements especially nitrogen (denitrification). While the extent of water-column denitrification over the shelf is modest (1.3-3.8 Tg N y sup(-1)), a very substantial fraction of the nitrate undergoing reduction appears to end up as nitrous oxide, which accumulates to levels rarely seen elsewhere in the ocean. Relative changes in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) closely conform to those predicted by the Redfiled-Ketchum-Richards stoichiometry in the oxic and suboxic waters. However, a higher-than-expected buildup of DIP occurs in anoxic waters, probably due to dissolution of the iron-oxyhydroxo-phosphate complex from sediments. This DIP may support nitrogen fixation after the cessation of upwelling.
 
Date 2008-02-12T04:35:58Z
2008-02-12T04:35:58Z
2006
 
Type Book Chapter
 
Identifier Past and present water column anoxia, ed. by: Neretin, L.N. 195-224p.
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/827
 
Language en
 
Rights Copyright [2006]. It is tried to respect the rights of the copyright holders to the best of the knowledge. If it is brought to our notice by copyright holder that the rights are voilated then the item would be withdrawn.
 
Publisher Springer