TITLE:
Impact of Cyclone PHAILIN on Chlorophyll-a Concentration and Productivity in the Bay of Bengal
AUTHORS:
T. Preethi Latha, K. H. Rao, P. V. Nagamani, E. Amminedu, S. B. Choudhury, C. B. S. Dutt, V. K. Dadhwal
KEYWORDS:
Oceansat-2 OCM, Cyclone, Chlorophyll-a, Primary Productivity, Cyclone Intensity, SST
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.6 No.5,
May
13,
2015
ABSTRACT: Ocean colour remote
sensing is one of the conventional methods in satellite oceanography used to
study the biological response of
the upper ocean to the tropical cyclones. This paper aims to study the impact
of the Very Severe Cyclonic storm PHAILIN, and its consequence on the surface
chlorophyll-aconcentration distribution in the Bay of Bengal using
Oceansat-2 Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM). The impact of this cyclone on ocean
primary productivity has been studied using MODIS-A data. Sea surface
temperature (SST) plays an important role in the generation of primary
productivity along with the other oceanographic parameters; SST patterns in the
Bay of Bengal during the cyclone period were studied. From the analysis, it is
observed that the chlorophyll-aconcentration has increased from 1.08
(before) to 7.06 mg/m3 after
the cyclone with an SST drop of ~3°C (29.19°C to 26°C). The primary
productivity has increased from 410.0506
to 779.9814 mg/C/m2/day after the cyclone. In addition to the above
analysis, an attempt has also been made to study the impact of cyclone
intensity on the chlorophyll concentration. The study shows that the comparison
between cyclone intensity (CI) and chlorophyll concentration shows a positive
relationship.