Zeitschrift für Meeresbiologie und Ozeanographie

Nutrient - Characteristics, Stoichiometry and Response Stimulus of Phytoplankton Biomass along the Southwest Coastal Waters of India

Udaya Kumar P, Chandran A, Jean Jose J, Shibu R and Anoop Krishnan K

Nutrient - Characteristics, Stoichiometry and Response Stimulus of Phytoplankton Biomass along the Southwest Coastal Waters of India

The study was aimed at how anthropogenic influences have shaped the nutrient dynamics and phytoplankton biomass in the coastal waters of southwest India. Coastal surface water samples were collected seasonally, from five transects in the southwest coast of India during the year 2008. The samples were analyzed for physical, chemical and biological parameters. Significant seasonal and spatial variation was observed in the hydrographic characteristics. Among the nutrients; dissolved Inorganic phosphate concentration was higher than dissolved inorganic nitrogen forms leading to N: P ratios of an average of less than 10, while Si: N ratios were greater than unity indicating that Si(OH)4 is not a limiting nutrient in the surface coastal water.