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Science 22 April 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5721, pp. 545 - 547
DOI: 10.1126/science.1106610
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Reports

Warming of the Eurasian Landmass Is Making the Arabian Sea More Productive

Joaquim I. Goes,1* Prasad G. Thoppil,2{dagger} Helga do R Gomes,1 John T. Fasullo3

The recent trend of declining winter and spring snow cover over Eurasia is causing a land-ocean thermal gradient that is particularly favorable to stronger southwest (summer) monsoon winds. Since 1997, sea surface winds have been strengthening over the western Arabian Sea. This escalation in the intensity of summer monsoon winds, accompanied by enhanced upwelling and an increase of more than 350% in average summertime phytoplankton biomass along the coast and over 300% offshore, raises the possibility that the current warming trend of the Eurasian landmass is making the Arabian Sea more productive.

1 Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575, USA.
2 Oceanography Department, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943, USA.
3 Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.

{dagger} Present address: Department of Marine Science, University of Southern Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jgoes{at}bigelow.org

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