Monsoon season, in June and July, increases aerosol and cloud cover over the Arabian Sea. Phytoplankton are the basis of the marine food chain and a good indicator of environmental change. CZCS and TOMS data are archived at the Goddard Space Flight Center DAAC . Map image in title graphic from National Geographic. Monsoons sweeping through the Arabian Sea affect light levels, yielding significant biological growth in its surface waters.
Light levels are, of course, a function of weather conditions.
The experiment measured the dynamics between these parameters in the Arabian Sea. By the time the campaign closed, Arnone realized that the light field affecting phytoplankton growth was far from uniform, and that it would be necessary to quantify variations within the light field to understand phytoplankton growth and activity. So, Arnone and his collaborators set out to model light levels in the Arabian Sea and if possible, correlate light levels with phytoplankton growth. The research team discovered that during June and July, monsoons increase cloud cover and aerosols, lowering the amount of light available at the ocean surface for photosynthesis. The amount of light actually reaching the sea surface is thus sometimes at a minimum in summer, which is different from other northern latitude ocean basins.