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Monsoon oscillations regulate fertility of the Red Sea
Author(s) -
Raitsos Dionysios E.,
Yi Xing,
Platt Trevor,
Racault MarieFanny,
Brewin Robert J. W.,
Pradhan Yaswant,
Papadopoulos Vassilis P.,
Sathyendranath Shubha,
Hoteit Ibrahim
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl062882
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , oceanography , monsoon , ecosystem , environmental science , marine ecosystem , advection , climatology , geology , biology , ecology , nutrient , physics , thermodynamics
Tropical ocean ecosystems are predicted to become warmer, more saline, and less fertile in a future Earth. The Red Sea, one of the warmest and most saline environments in the world, may afford insights into the function of the tropical ocean ecosystem in a changing planet. We show that the concentration of chlorophyll and the duration of the phytoplankton growing season in the Red Sea are controlled by the strength of the winter Arabian monsoon (through horizontal advection of fertile waters from the Indian Ocean). Furthermore, and contrary to expectation, in the last decade (1998–2010) the winter Red Sea phytoplankton biomass has increased by 75% during prolonged positive phases of the Multivariate El Niño–Southern Oscillation Index. A new mechanism is reported, revealing the synergy of monsoon and climate in regulating Red Sea greenness.