Mesozooplankton biomass, composition and distribution in the Arabian Sea during the Fall Intermonsoon: implications of oxygen gradients

Mesozooplankton biomass and distribution of calanoid copepods were studied for the upper 500 m between 3 and 21°N along an open-ocean transect in the Arabian Sea during the Fall Intermonsoon (September–October 1992, 1993). The region studied has strong gradients in the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), being acutely deficient in oxygen in the north and with increasing concentrations towards the south. In the upper layers, mesozooplankton biomass was higher in the northern latitudes, above the thermocline, apparently avoiding the OMZ. In the deeper strata, relatively higher biomass was observed in the more oxygenated southern latitudes. Highest mesozooplankton biomass in open waters of the Arabian Sea was observed during the intermonsoon seasons. Calanoid copepods occurred at all depths, and surface-living species did not undertake conspicuous diel migrations, even when they occurred in the deeper waters of the more southern latitudes. A few species belonging to the families Metridinidae and Augaptilidae appeared to be characteristic of the poorly oxygenated mid-depths of the more northern latitudes. Seasonal variations in the composition of the copepod community were negligible. The evolution of the OMZ in the Arabian Sea and its implications are discussed.