Published: Jul 29, 2025 by B. Y. Queste
A new paper in Ocean Science investigates oxygen supply to the Bay of Bengal oxygen minimum zone.
The study, “Ventilation of the Bay of Bengal oxygen minimum zone by the Southwest Monsoon Current”, identifies an annual oxygen supply linked to the high-salinity core of the Southwest Monsoon Current. This seasonal circulation feature flows northward into the Bay of Bengal during the southwest monsoon.
The results help explain why oxygen concentrations in the Bay of Bengal oxygen minimum zone remain above the threshold for large-scale denitrification, despite the region being one of the strongest oxygen minimum zones in the global ocean.
Read the paper: Ventilation of the Bay of Bengal oxygen minimum zone by the Southwest Monsoon Current