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Influence of the upwelling events on the δ13C and δ18O of the benthic bivalve shells of the South Western Continental Margin of India

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Abstract

In this study, the influence of the spatial and temporal variability of upwelling intensity and the associated biological productivity observed during different phases of summer monsoon along the southwestern continental margin of India (SWCMI) on the δ13C and δ18O of the inorganic biogenic carbonate shells was investigated. Multispecies benthic bivalve shells (1–5 mm) separated from ten surface sediment samples of SWCMI (off 12°N, 10°N and 9°N) collected during the onset (OSM) and peak (PSM) phase of the summer monsoon of 2009 were analysed for δ13C and δ18O. Sea surface temperature along the study region indicates prominent upwelling in PSM than in OSM. A comparison of analytical and predicted values for δ18O in the bivalve shells confirmed their in situ origin during both the sampling periods. During PSM, the δ13C values in the benthic bivalve shells were more depleted in 13C than during OSM which recorded lower values of δ13C in dissolved inorganic carbon of bottom waters expected in the study region in PSM due to the upwelled waters, high surface productivity and the associated high degradation of the organic matter in the subsurface and bottom waters. However, this depletion of δ13C was not observed in benthic bivalve shells obtained from 10°N, since it is influenced by high export fluxes of carbon from the Cochin estuary since early monsoon months.

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Acknowledgments

The first author is thankful to the Women Scientists Scheme, Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, India for the financial grants (SR/WOS-A/ES-09/2009) received during the course of this work. The authors thank all the cruise participants for their help in sampling.

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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. Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Kochi, 682 037, India

    K. U. Abdul Jaleel, B. R. Smitha & V. N. Sanjeevan

  3. Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, 682 016, India

    K. R. Abhilash

  4. 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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Correspondence to Josia Jacob.

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Jacob, J., Ghosh, P., Abdul Jaleel, K.U. et al. Influence of the upwelling events on the δ13C and δ18O of the benthic bivalve shells of the South Western Continental Margin of India. Environ Earth Sci 75, 155 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4954-x

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