View article

Chemical oceanographic data collected on RV Gaveshani cruises 181 and 182 in the Bay of Bengal during March–April, 1987 showed subsurface ammonium maxima in the water column in northern Bay of Bengal. While there is no regular trend either in horizontal or in vertical distribution of ammonium in the central Bay (Lat. 12–14°N), two prominent maxima, one in the euphotic zone near the oxycline (75–150 m) and the other in the oxygen deficient zone (400–600 m) are observed in the vertical distribution of ammonium in the northern Bay of Bengal (Lat. 18–20°N). The subsurface maximum (2·0–3·5 μmol dm⁻³) in the euphotic zone is attributed to the regeneration of ammonium by zooplankton excretion associated with the stratification of water column during summer (spring). The spatial distribution of recycled nitrogen (ammonium) along the transects showed an increasing trend of regenerated nitrogen from …