| Description |
The Arabian sea can be divided into three distinct subsystems: the Western Arabian Sea along the African Coast, the Central Arabian Sea, and the Eastern Arabian Sea bordering the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan.(Dwivedi and Choubey, 1998) Each area differs in current patterns, physical characteristics, physiochemical qualities, dominant species and biodiversity. Monsoon winds, local topography, backwaters, width and depth of the continental shelf, and drainage of coastal areas have further created three coastal subecosystems, each with their own distinct productivity and species distribution: the Southwest Coast Ecosystem, the Central West Coast Ecosystem, and the Northwest Coast Ecosystem and Islands. (Dwivedi and Choubey, 1998) The Southwest Coast Ecosystem extends off the Kerala and Karnataka coasts. The coastline extends 890 kilometers, with many backwaters and mangrove swamps. The climate is warm, with temperatures ranging from 20 to 38 degrees Celsius. The continental shelf is shallow, encompassing 65,000 square kilometers. The Central West Coast Ecosystem covers Goa and Maharashtra, with 783 kilometers of coastline. The continental shelf is narrow, and encompasses 97,000 square kilometers. (Dwivedi and Choubey, 1998) The Northwest Coast Ecosystem and Islands consists of the Gujarat coast, with a coastline of 1600 kilometers. This ecosystem has the widest continental shelf of the three subecosystems, up to 125 kilometers wide. Its area is 164,000 square kilometers (http://www.na.nmfs.gov/lme/text/lme32.htm). |
