Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6386605 | Journal of Marine Systems | 2017 | 42 Pages |
Abstract
Satellite-derived ocean colour data was used to identify the phytoplankton bloom associated with tropical cyclones Thane and Phailin in the Bay of Bengal (BoB). Cyclone Thane was category 2 cyclone (25-31 December 2011), and Phailin was category 5 cyclone (8-14 October 2013), and both occurred during the post-monsoon season. The present study examined the effect of cyclone intensity difference on the chlorophyll a (Chl-a) production in the BoB. Two and seven times Chl-a enhancement was observed after the passage of Phailin and Thane respectively. Possible causes were examined using the satellite-derived sea surface temperature, sea surface height anomalies and sea surface winds. In both cases, cyclone intensified the strength of the pre-existing cyclonic eddies after its passage. Our study shows that the strong stratification along the Phailin track suppresses the Chl-a enhancement after its passage. However, comparatively weaker stratification along the Thane track promotes entrainment of more nutrients and enhances the Chl-a production even though with lesser intensity. In this study, the extent of Chl-a production associated with cyclones was attributed to upper ocean physical processes than the intensity.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Oceanography
Authors
Vidya P.J., Santosh Das, Mani Murali.R,