Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8871451 | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 2018 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Measurements of total organic carbon (TOC) for two years in Kuwaiti waters showed high TOC levels (101.0-318.4, mean 161.2â¯Î¼M) with maximal concentrations occurring within the polluted Kuwait Bay and decreasing offshore, indicating substantial anthropogenic component. Analysis of winter-time data revealed a large increase in density over the past four decades due to decrease in Shatt Al-Arab runoff, implying that the dissolved/suspended organic matter in surface waters of the northern Gulf could be quickly injected into the Gulf Deep Water (GDW). Our measurements together with an analysis of previously collected/published data suggest that the recent summer-time declining trend in oxygen in the GDW might be related to eutrophication. Higher preformed TOC and lower preformed dissolved oxygen contents of the high-salinity water mass that flows out of the Gulf and ventilates the mesopelagic oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) of the Northwestern Indian Ocean may cause expansion/intensification of the regional OMZ.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Oceanography
Authors
Turki Al-Said, S.W.A. Naqvi, Faiza Al-Yamani, Alexandr Goncharov, Loreta Fernandes,