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Quantification of new production during a winter Noctiluca scintillans bloom in the Arabian Sea
Author(s) -
Prakash Satya,
Ramesh R.,
Sheshshayee M. S.,
Dwivedi R. M.,
Raman Mini
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2008gl033819
Subject(s) - bloom , biogeochemical cycle , photic zone , oceanography , algal bloom , environmental science , phytoplankton , new production , monsoon , biology , ecology , geology , nutrient
We present new data on the nitrate (new production), ammonium, urea uptake rates and f ‐ratios for the eastern Arabian Sea (10° to 22°N) during the late winter (northeast) monsoon, 2004, including regions of green Noctiluca scintillans bloom. A comparison of N‐uptake rates of the Noctiluca dominated northern zone to the southern non‐bloom zone indicates the presence of two biogeochemical regimes during the late winter monsoon: highly productive north and less productive south. The conservative estimates of photic zone‐integrated total N‐uptake and f ‐ratio are high in the north (∼19 mmolNm −2 d −1 and 0.82, respectively) during the bloom and low (∼5.5 mmolNm −2 d −1 and 0.38 respectively) in the south. The present and earlier data imply persistence of high N‐uptake and f ‐ratio during blooms year after year. This quantification of the enhanced seasonal sequestration of carbon is an important input to global biogeochemical models.