Impact of atmospheric factors with emphasis on dust concentration on chlorophyll in the southeast of the Caspian Sea (2007-2007)

 Marine phytoplankton masses are the main source of aquatic ecosystems whose concentrations vary due to various factors such as dust. The Caspian Sea is affected by dust storms due to its proximity to the Turkmen deserts.

The purpose of this study was to investigate atmospheric factors, especially dust, on chlorophyll concentration in the southeast of the Caspian Sea in the long-term period 2007 to 2017. For this purpose, Aqua satellite data and Merra-2 model used.

The research findings show that the maximum chlorophyll and surface dust concentration in autumn and the maximum aerosol optical depth (AOD) in summer. In autumn, chlorophyll increases significantly on the shores of Mazandaran and Guilan so that the highest chlorophyll concentration of 11.2 mg / m3 obtained in September at Station No. 2 (near the coast of Mazandaran). The increasing wind speeds and solar radiation in the Balkans have resulted in increased surface dust concentrations that transmitted to the Caspian Sea with western winds in autumn. Increasing solar radiation resulted in a decrease in chlorophyll (correlation coefficient of -0.41 to -0.57) while increasing wind speed resulted in an increase in chlorophyll (correlation coefficient of +0.2 to +0.54). When dust concentration increased, chlorophyll increased (+ 0.34 positive correlation) in September and when dust decreased, chlorophyll decreased (-0.32 negative correlation) in spring.

The relationship between dust and chlorophyll in years with different dust concentrations is not similar.