. The Diversity of the Seas: a regional approach. WCMC Biodiversity Series 4. SOUTH ASIA Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, British Indian Ocean Territory LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS The South Asia region includes the major part of two LMEs - the Arabian Sea, to the west of the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka, and the Bay of Bengal to the east. South of Sri Lanka lies the central Indian Ocean, not identified as an LME. Arabian Sea. The Arabian Sea is semi-enclosed, characterised centrally by low oxygen levels and low productivity. Surface water in an anti-clockwise d
. The Diversity of the Seas: a regional approach. WCMC Biodiversity Series 4. SOUTH ASIA Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, British Indian Ocean Territory LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS The South Asia region includes the major part of two LMEs - the Arabian Sea, to the west of the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka, and the Bay of Bengal to the east. South of Sri Lanka lies the central Indian Ocean, not identified as an LME. Arabian Sea. The Arabian Sea is semi-enclosed, characterised centrally by low oxygen levels and low productivity. Surface water in an anti-clockwise direction during the northeast monsoon (November-April) and clockwise during ihc southwest monsoon (May-October). Upwelling driven by monsoon winds tends to produce seasonal concentrations offish stocks in coastal areas, especially in eastern sectors, where artisanal and commercial fisheries exist. The Arabian Sea is relatively saline; evaporation is high and the Indus Ki\er provides the only significant freshwater input (its annual discharge of some 450 million tons ol sediment has produced an undersea delta many hundreds of square kilometres in extent). Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is another semi-enclosed water mass. It maintains a clockwise surface current regardless ol monsoon season, and receives considerable freshwater input from precipitation and from the Ganges-Brahmaputra system, resulting in a two-layered stratified water column. The Ganges- also contributes an enormous sediment load to the region. BIODIVERSII ^ South Asia Regional Sea: biodiversity data endemic % endemic seagrasses coral molluscs shrimps lobsters 0 9 19 sharks 1 63 58 seabirds 0 246 6 cetaceans 0 94 27 sirenians 0 23 15 pinnipeds 6 58 17 0 26 9 0 28 32 0 1 25 _ 0 _ Notes: the data refer to species except for coral genera. Column headings: endemic = restricted to the region; T = total species richness in the region; % = species richness in the region as a percentage of the worl
Size: 1710px × 1461px
Photo credit: © Paul Fearn / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bh, bookcentury1900, bookcollectionbiodiversity, bookleafnumber87
