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Hydrographical characteristics and oxygen isotopic signatures of water in a coastal environment (Mangalore) along the southeastern Arabian Sea

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Abstract

Coastal marine environments are important links between the continents and the open ocean. The coast off Mangalore forms part of the upwelling zone along the southeastern Arabian Sea. The temperature, salinity, density, dissolved oxygen and stable oxygen isotope ratio (δ18O) of surface waters as well as those of bottom waters off coastal Mangalore were studied every month from October 2010 to May 2011. The coastal waters were stratified in October and November due to precipitation and runoff. The region was characterised by upwelled bottom waters in October, whereas the region exhibited a temperature inversion in November. The surface and bottom waters presented almost uniform properties from December until April. The coastal waters were observed to be most dense in January and May. Comparatively cold and poorly oxygenated bottom waters during the May sampling indicated the onset of upwelling along the region. δ18O of the coastal waters successfully documented the observed variations in the hydrographical characteristics of the Mangalore coast during the monthly sampling period. We also noted that the monthly variability in the properties of the coastal waters of Mangalore was related to the hydrographical characteristics of the adjacent open ocean inferred from satellite-derived surface winds, sea surface height anomaly data and sea surface temperatures.

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Acknowledgments

This work forms part of a project sanctioned by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, India under the Women Scientists Scheme (SR/WOS-A/ES-09/2009). The first author is thankful for the grants received for this work. Prof. D. Senguptha, Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India is gratefully acknowledged for his suggestions, which led to the evolution of this manuscript. Dr. Smitha, B.R., Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Kochi, India is also acknowledged for her comments and suggestions which helped to improve the quality of this manuscript. The authors thank the India Meteorological Department (IMD), India for providing the rainfall datasets for the coastal Mangalore station (Panambur). The authors also thank Dr. Venkat Shesu, R., Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Hyderabad, India for the tide data from New Mangalore Port. We are thankful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions which helped to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India

    Josia Jacob & Prosenjit Ghosh

  2. Mangalore Research Centre of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Mangalore, 575 001, India

    A. P. Dineshbabu & Bindu Sulochanan

  3. National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Goa, 403 804, India

    P. Sabu

  4. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Hyderabad, 500 090, India

    K. Srinivas

  5. Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India

    Prosenjit Ghosh

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  1. Josia Jacob
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Jacob, J., Ghosh, P., Dineshbabu, A.P. et al. Hydrographical characteristics and oxygen isotopic signatures of water in a coastal environment (Mangalore) along the southeastern Arabian Sea. J Oceanogr 70, 251–266 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-014-0228-6

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