Variability of Physical and Biogeochemical Parameters in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Qatar

Abstract

The oceanographic data collected along a transect in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Qatar during late summer (September 2014) and winter (January 2015) have been analyzed to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of hydrography and biogeochemistry. The study reveals that stratification is dominant in the deep-water regions during September, with a vertical variation of around 9 °C from surface to bottom. However, the water column remains in homogeneity during January due to strong wind mixing and surface cooling. The dissolved oxygen (DO) in the upper layer of the EEZ is on a reasonable range in both the seasons, while they gradually decrease with respect to depth in the mid and bottom layers during January. This leads to hypoxic conditions in summer. Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a ) is relatively high during summer in the offshore region, while that in the nearshore regions is very low. The variability in the physical and biogeochemical parameters has shown significant effects in primary productivity in the EEZ of Qatar.