Numerical simulation of plankton dynamics in the gulf of kutch

Gulf is a significant region to study due to its economic importance with large number of ports and hydrological significance for its extreme tidal circulation. Remote sensing data of both physical and biological parameters is assimilated using Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) and multiscale objective analysis and incorporated into a three dimensional mathematical model to simulate the plankton dynamics and analyze the regional distribution. This three-dimensional circulation model is coupled with five compartment (Nutrient, Chlorophyll a, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton and Detritus) biogeochemical model first time for the Gulf. In the present study, depth integrated phytoplankton for the Gulf of Kutch is estimated. Chlorophyll a (chl_a) data collected from MODIS Aqua chl_a data is found to be higher above 4 mg/m³ in almost all the ports except Jamnagar. The model output validated with satellite data show that the model possesses reasonably skill.