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Oceanologia 2013
Spatio-temporal variation of microphytoplankton in the upwelling system of the south-eastern Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon of 2009Keywords: Species distribution , Seabed , Habitat modelling , Spatial and temporal boundaries , Ecosystem-based management Abstract: The phytoplankton standing crop was assessed in detail along the South Eastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) during the different phases of coastal upwelling in 2009. During phase 1 intense upwelling was observed along the southern transects(8°N and 8.5°N). The maximum chlorophyll a concentration (22.7 mg m-3) was observedin the coastal waters off Thiruvananthapuram (8.5°N). Further north there was no signature of upwelling, with extensive Trichodesmium erythraeum blooms. Diatoms dominated in these upwelling regions with thecentric diatom Chaetoceros curvisetus being the dominant species along the 8°N transect. Along the 8.5°N transect pennate diatoms like Nitzschia seriata and Pseudo-nitzschia sp. dominated. Duringphase 2, upwelling of varying intensity was observed throughout the study area with maximum chlorophyll a concentrations along the 9°N transect (25 mg m-3) with Chaetoceros curvisetus as the dominantphytoplankton. Along the 8.5°N transect pennate diatoms during phase 1 were replaced by centric diatoms like Chaetoceros sp. The presence of solitary pennate diatoms Amphora sp. and Navicula sp.were significant in the waters off Kochi. Upwelling was waning during phase 3 and was confined to the coastal waters of the southern transects with the highest chlorophyll a concentration of 11.2 mg m-3. Along withdiatoms, dinoflagellate cell densities increased in phases 2 and 3. In the northern transects (9°N and 10°N) the proportion of dinoflagellates was comparatively higher and was represented mainly by Protoperidinium spp.
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