Identification and Mapping of Ocean Biological Deserts Using Satellite Data

Abstract

The ability of oceans to sequester large amounts of atmospheric CO 2 through the biological pump has generated considerable interest in formulating strategies towards mitigating the impact of climate change. One such mitigation strategy is the artificial fertilisation of oceanic waters characterised by very low phytoplankton biomass. Regions of ocean that contain low phytoplankton biomass or chlorophyll-concentrations are called as ‘Ocean Biological Deserts’. A primary requirement for conducting fertilisation experiments is the identification of regions that are uniformly low in chlorophyll concentration without any seasonal or interannual variations. This communication reports the identification of uniformly low chlorophyll regions (ocean biological deserts) in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal using satellite derived ocean colour variables that can be considered suitable for artificial enrichment.