Monsoons, plumes, and blooms: intraseasonal variability  of subsurface primary productivity in the Bay of Bengal

Schlosser, Tamara L.; Lucas, Andrew J.; Omand, Melissa; Farrar, J. Thomas

doi:10.5194/os-22-443-2026

Articles | Volume 22, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-443-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-443-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 1

Research article

|

09 Feb 2026

Research article |

| 09 Feb 2026

Monsoons, plumes, and blooms: intraseasonal variability of subsurface primary productivity in the Bay of Bengal

Tamara L. Schlosser, Andrew J. Lucas, Melissa Omand, and J. Thomas Farrar

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-443-2026-supplement

Data sets

Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua Photosynthetically Available Radiation Data; 2018 Reprocessing NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Ocean Ecology Laboratory https://doi.org/10.5067/AQUA/MODIS/L3M/PAR/2018

MODIS-Aqua Ocean Color Data NASA Goddard Space Flight Center et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/AQUA/MODIS/L3M/KD490/2018

MODIS-Aqua Ocean Color Data NASA Goddard Space Flight Center et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/AQUA/MODIS/L3M/CHL/2018

Global Ocean Physics Reanalysis EU Copernicus Marine Service Information https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00021

Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer~(MODIS) Aqua Downwelling Diffuse Attenuation Coefficient Data; 2018 Reprocessing Goddard Space Flight Center and Ocean Ecology Laboratory https://doi.org/10.5067/ORBVIEW-2/SEAWIFS/L2/OC/2018

Model code and software

dielFit - adapted to accept PAR inputs Tamara Lillian Schlosser https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18409716

Short summary

Seasonal monsoon storms over South Asia and the northern Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and thick clouds, decreasing how much sunlight reaches the ocean. We used new autonomous instruments to show that cloudy periods reduce subsurface ocean productivity by more than half, with ripple effects through the food web. These short-term shifts are as large as seasonal changes in productivity and influence how the ocean stores carbon.