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Satellite-Based Characterization of Phytoplankton Blooms in Coastal Waters of the Northwestern Bay of Bengal

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Abstract

Phytoplankton blooms are frequent in the coastal waters of the northwestern Bay of Bengal (BoB), with diatom blooms being the most common. For the first time, this study investigated the long-term trend in ocean color satellite-retrieved diatom distribution in coastal waters of the northwestern BoB. A retrospective analogy of phytoplankton bloom events corroborated with earlier in situ observations. The temporal distribution of diatom revealed a bimodal annual trend with peaks during the pre- and post-southwest monsoon periods. This pattern could be attributed to the enhanced degree of phytoplankton growth-promoting nutrient availability along with favorable environmental conditions during both pre- and post-monsoon periods. Diatom distribution indicated a more extensive spatial spread during the post-southwest monsoon. The present study also substantiated diatom availability as a conducive factor for the bloom of heterotrophic Noctiluca scintillans and exudation by Trichodesmium as an excellent source of nutrients for diatom growth. This study suggests developing phytoplankton species-specific satellite retrieval algorithms and ocean color sensors of higher spatiotemporal efficiency, to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of blooms on ecosystem functioning.

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Data availability

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and source files of the data are available at https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/MODIS-Aqua/Mapped/Daily/4km/.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the authorities of their respective institutions  for their encouragement. The authors also acknowledge the NASA-GSFC for making available MODISA ocean color products and the software development-up-gradation team of SeaDAS. The first author (SS) extends thanks to the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India for awarding the National Post-Doctoral Fellowship (Award No. PDF/2016/002087). This is INCOIS contribution No. 467.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Sciences, Berhampur University, Bhanjabihar, 760007, India

    Suchismita Srichandan

  2. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, Hyderabad, 500090, India

    Sanjiba K. Baliarsingh, Alakes Samanta, Amit K. Jena, Aneesh Anandrao Lotliker & T. M. Balakrishnan Nair

  3. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Indian Space Research Organisation, Government of India, Dehradun, 248001, India

    Amit K. Jena

  4. Centurion University of Technology and Management, Bhubaneswar, 752050, India

    Kamal K. Barik

  5. School of Sustainability, XIM University, Bhubaneswar, 752050, India

    Tamoghna Acharyya

Authors
  1. Suchismita Srichandan
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  2. Sanjiba K. Baliarsingh
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  3. Alakes Samanta
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  4. Amit K. Jena
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  5. Aneesh Anandrao Lotliker
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  6. T. M. Balakrishnan Nair
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  7. Kamal K. Barik
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Contributions

SS conceived the hypothesis from the previous work of AAL and carried out the literature review; AS, SKB, and AKJ acquired satellite data and carried out data processing; AS and AKJ prepared the graphical illustrations; SS, SKB, AS, and AAL interpreted data; SS and SKB drafted the manuscript; AAL, TMB, KKB, and TA provided necessary inputs for the main text and revised the draft; all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Aneesh Anandrao Lotliker.

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Srichandan, S., Baliarsingh, S.K., Samanta, A. et al. Satellite-Based Characterization of Phytoplankton Blooms in Coastal Waters of the Northwestern Bay of Bengal. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 50, 2221–2228 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-022-01597-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-022-01597-6

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