Two researchers at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay Harbor, Joaquim Goes and Helga Gomes, published an article in the journal Science last April reporting research findings with far-reaching effects.
As a result of less snowfall on the Himalayas during the past seven years, the monsoon winds that blow northeast across the Arabian Sea during summer months have intensified.
With a stronger wind pattern, more surface water is also moved in the northeast direction. Unusual flooding has recently occurred in India and Bangladesh. Mumbai (Bombay) had record-breaking rain in a 24-hour period last year, and dams burst with the overflow of rainwater. In the ocean, deep water moved up from the bottom, bringing with it a higher concentration of nutrients that have a positive response to sunlight. Phytoplankton — tiny ocean plants that form the base of the marine food chain — multiplied by 350 percent in the surface waters, creating “blooms.”
Proliferating blooms on the water surface mean less oxygen and sunlight deprivation for the deeper waters. A perfect environment emerges for the growth of a particular group of so-called “denitrifying” bacteria. Nitrate is converted into less oxidized forms of nitrogen such as nitrous oxide, which in turn promote global warming.
Massive fish kills are occurring off the coast of Oman and, according to the researchers, gaseous vapors there are contributing to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, exacerbating the greenhouse effect.
Goes and Gomez, both born in Kenya but who moved to India and then were trained in Japan, did their seven-year research project with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Navy Research Laboratory. The Bigelow Lab researchers were able to use sensors in satellites to track their global investigations. When the scientific journal published the findings last April, urban newspapers in the Middle East, Asia and Europe took note, while U.S. media barely acknowledged them.
When asked if the warming of the Eurasian landmass and the changes in the Arabian Sea are an issue for the Gulf of Maine, Sandy Sage, executive director of Bigelow Lab, said that it was a critical issue. “Our ocean waters are cooler here in large part because the gulf Stream is disappearing from our area. Our state agriculture as well as our fisheries will be dramatically and negatively impacted.”