Response of the Banda Sea to the southeast monsoon

Three mechanisms are suggested to describe the physical response in the Banda Sea to the seasonal winds of the southeast monsoon: basin-wide wind-induced mixing, upwelling primarily on the eastern side, and a more complex basin circulation. We use the distribution of chl a in the Banda Sea, from both shipboard and satellite data, as an indicator of the dominant mechanism. An east-west transect of stations through the central Banda Sea in September 1998 shows higher phytoplankton biomass to the east, suggesting a remnant upwelling signal from the southeast monsoon in the previous months. Phytoplankton pigment data indicate a community dominated by diatoms to the east, and a more oligotrophic community (e.g. cyanobacteria) to the west. Furthermore, satellite images reveal a strong seasonal signal, an east-west gradient in chl a, and coincidentally, the related impact of the 1997-1998 El Nino. Overall, the bio-optical data support the idea that the Banda Sea responds to the southeast monsoon through upwelling in the eastern part of the basin.