Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

The vettical distribution of dissolved oxygen in the deeper waters of the Arabian Sea in the neighbourhood of the Laccadives during the summer 1959.

Volume 1 Issue 2

Jayaraman R, C. P Ramamritham and K. V. Sundararamam

Abstract

THE distribution of dissolved oxygen in the. oceans has attracted the attention of oceanographers for quite some time and among the number of publications on the subject, the papers by Seiwell (1934), Miyake and Saruhashi (1956) and Richards (1957) deserve special mention. Miyake and Saruhashi have given an excellent review of the investigations on the oxygen, distribution with particular reference to the occurrence of layers of oxygen minima. In presenting their observations, these authors have stated that the factors determining the vertical distribution of oxygen and the occurrence oxygen-minimum layer are ' (i) local productivity and (ii) vertical density distribution of subsurface waters.' The authors have also pointed out that oxygen deficit is closely related to increase in C02 and is principally the result of oxidative decomposition of the organic matter produced locally. 
Studies on the water masses along the south-west coast of India have been in progress since 1957 at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Station and the parameters that have been investigated in detail so far are temperature, salinity and density. It was considered desirable to include the study of oxygen distribution, as it will help in a further elucidation of the water types and may aid in the characterization of productive and non-productive areas. Two cruises were made on board the Research Vessel Kalava in the month of April 1959 and a total number of 25 stations were worked in the deeper waters of the Arabian Sea. In 10 of these stations studies on oxygen distribution were made (Fig. 1). Except at one station (Stn. 434) where sampling was done down to 1,000 metres, the maximum depth of sampling was 500 metres in all the stations. 

Keywords

Dissolved oxygen, vertical distribution, Arabian Sea, Laccadives

Date : 08-12-1959