Influence of mesoscale eddies on a commercial fishery in the coastal waters of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Mesoscale eddies enhance the productivity in a stratified coastal environment by upwelling. The seas around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been found to have frequent mesoscale eddy activity. Commercial fishing grounds coincide with upwelling areas associated with cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies and also with areas between two adjacent eddies. There are different eddy zones supporting different types of fishing gears and fish. The current study aims at identifying the different zones of mesoscale eddies in the Andaman Sea and compares the productivity and fishing activity in each of them. Data collected from 454 commercial fishing trips in the Andaman Sea along with maps of sea level anomaly and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) global level 3 mapped thermal infrared (IR) daytime sea surface temperature (SST) from the Aqua and Terra satellites were used for the study. Known upwelling areas such as the periphery of anticyclonic and the core of cyclonic eddies showed higher catches in longlines, ring seines among the fishing gears, and among all the fish species groups. Downwelling areas such as the periphery of cyclonic and the core of anticyclonic eddies showed lower catches with ring seines and the fish species groups. Areas in between adjacent eddies were explored in this study and the fish captures in such areas were found to be different with types of fishing and the target fish group. The study shows results that link eddy activity with the performance of a fishery

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Not AvailableMesoscale eddies enhance the productivity in a stratified coastal environment by upwelling. The seas around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been found to have frequent mesoscale eddy activity. Commercial fishing grounds coincide with upwelling areas associated with cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies and also with areas between two adjacent eddies. There are different eddy zones supporting different types of fishing gears and fish. The current study aims at identifying the different zones of mesoscale eddies in the Andaman Sea and compares the productivity and fishing activity in each of them. Data collected from 454 commercial fishing trips in the Andaman Sea along with maps of sea level anomaly and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) global level 3 mapped thermal infrared (IR) daytime sea surface temperature (SST) from the Aqua and Terra satellites were used for the study. Known upwelling areas such as the periphery of anticyclonic and the core of cyclonic eddies showed higher catches in longlines, ring seines among the fishing gears, and among all the fish species groups. Downwelling areas such as the periphery of cyclonic and the core of anticyclonic eddies showed lower catches with ring seines and the fish species groups. Areas in between adjacent eddies were explored in this study and the fish captures in such areas were found to be different with types of fishing and the target fish group. The study shows results that link eddy activity with the performance of a fishery.Not Availabl

Aerosol black carbon characteristics over Central India: temporal variation and its dependence on mixed layer height

In a first of its kind study over the Indian region, concurrent and extensive measurements of black carbon (BC) concentration and atmospheric boundary layer parameters are used to quantify the role of atmospheric boundary layer in producing temporal changes in BC. During this study, 18 months (2011–12) data of continuous measurements of BC aerosols, made over a semi-urban location, Nagpur, in Central India are used along with concurrent measurements of vertical profiles of atmospheric thermodynamics, made using weekly ascents of GPS aided Radiosonde for a period of 1 year. From the balloon data, mixed layer heights and ventilation coefficients are estimated, and the monthly and seasonal changes in BC mass concentration are examined in the light of the boundary layer changes. Seasonally, the BC mass concentration was highest (~ 4573 ± 1293 ng m−3) in winter (December–February), and lowest (~ 1588 ± 897 ng m−3) in monsoon (June–September), while remained moderate (~ 3137 ± 1446 ng m−3) in pre-monsoon (March–May), and post-monsoon (~ 3634 ± 813 ng m−3) (October–November) seasons. During the dry seasons, when the rainfall is scanty or insignificantly small, the seasonal variations in BC concentrations have a strong inverse relationship with mixed layer height and ventilation coefficient. However, the lowest BC concentrations do not occur during the season when the mixed layer height (MLH) is highest or the ventilation coefficient is the highest; rather it occurs when the rainfall is strong (during summer monsoon season) and airmass changes to primarily of marine origin