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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDNature communications

Asymmetric basin-wide responses of coastal phytoplankton biomass to the Indian Ocean dipole.

  • Xinyang Wang1,2,3
  • Hongliang Li4,5
  • Jingjing Zhang1,2
  • Shuh-Ji Kao6
  • Feng Zhou1
  • Diana Ruiz-Pino7
  • Jiliang Xuan1
  • Ruibin Ding8
  • Alban Lazar7
  • Carlos E Mejia7
  • Yun Qiu9
  • Xiwu Zhou9
8 more authors
  • Lei Wang10
  • Lu Shou1,2
  • Yuanli Zhu1,2
  • Win Win Than11
  • Soe Moe Lwin12
  • Chit Aung Thu13
  • Wenju Cai14,15
  • Jianfang Chen16,17,18
18 affiliations
  1. 1State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China.
  2. 2Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China.
  3. 3School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
  4. 4State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
  5. 5Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
  6. 6State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
  7. 7Sorbonne University (S.U.), CNRS-IRD-MNHN, LOCEAN Laboratory/IPSL, Paris, France.
  8. 8Institute of Polar and Ocean Technology, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China.
  9. 9Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Physical and Geological Processes, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China.
  10. 10Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China.
  11. 11Dagon University, Yangon, Myanmar.
  12. 12Myeik University, Myeik, Myanmar.
  13. 13Research and Development Section, Department of Fisheries, Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
  14. 14Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China.
  15. 15Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
  16. 16State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
  17. 17Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
  18. 18School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. [email protected].
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Abstract

Frequent Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events exert substantial ecological pressure on marine ecosystems of the Indian Ocean. However, how coastal ecosystems respond to IOD events remains unknown. Here, combining field observations, remote sensing, and model-derived product, we reveal a basin-scale response of surface and subsurface phytoplankton along the vast eastern Indian Ocean coastline; further, the response is asymmetric between IOD phases, with a 27.0 ± 17.0% increase during positive IOD but only a 13.1 ± 5.2% decrease during negative IOD. Upwelling Kelvin waves (KWs) generated by equatorial easterly wind anomalies during positive IOD raise the thermocline and mixing intensity, increase nutrient availability, and phytoplankton biomass. In contrast, downwelling KWs generated by equatorial westerly wind anomalies during negative IOD further constrain the oligotrophy-limited phytoplankton baseline, resulting in a substantially weaker biological response. Within the KWs framework, underwater topography enhances regional sensitivity to KWs forcing, thereby amplifying the asymmetric phytoplankton biomass responses. Our findings imply that the projected increase in extreme positive IOD events will likely enhance primary production, with possible implications for regional fisheries.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{wang2026asymmetric,
  title = {{Asymmetric basin-wide responses of coastal phytoplankton biomass to the Indian Ocean dipole.}},
  author = {Xinyang Wang and Hongliang Li and Jingjing Zhang and Shuh-Ji Kao and Feng Zhou and Diana Ruiz-Pino and Jiliang Xuan and Ruibin Ding and Alban Lazar and Carlos E Mejia and Yun Qiu and Xiwu Zhou and Lei Wang and Lu Shou and Yuanli Zhu and Win Win Than and Soe Moe Lwin and Chit Aung Thu and Wenju Cai and Jianfang Chen},
  journal = {Nature communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-77809-1},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897191},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Asymmetric basin-wide responses of coastal phytoplankton biomass to the Indian Ocean dipole.
AU  - Xinyang Wang
AU  - Hongliang Li
AU  - Jingjing Zhang
AU  - Shuh-Ji Kao
AU  - Feng Zhou
AU  - Diana Ruiz-Pino
AU  - Jiliang Xuan
AU  - Ruibin Ding
AU  - Alban Lazar
AU  - Carlos E Mejia
AU  - Yun Qiu
AU  - Xiwu Zhou
AU  - Lei Wang
AU  - Lu Shou
AU  - Yuanli Zhu
AU  - Win Win Than
AU  - Soe Moe Lwin
AU  - Chit Aung Thu
AU  - Wenju Cai
AU  - Jianfang Chen
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
JO  - Nature communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-77809-1
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897191
AB  - Frequent Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events exert substantial ecological pressure on marine ecosystems of the Indian Ocean. However, how coastal ecosystems respond to IOD events remains unknown. Here, combining field observations, remote sensing, and model-derived product, we reveal a basin-scale response of surface and subsurface phytoplankton along the vast eastern Indian Ocean coastline; further, the response is asymmetric between IOD phases, with a 27.0 ± 17.0% increase during positive IOD but only a 13.1 ± 5.2% decrease during negative IOD. Upwelling Kelvin waves (KWs) generated by equatorial easterly wind anomalies during positive IOD raise the thermocline and mixing intensity, increase nutrient availability, and phytoplankton biomass. In contrast, downwelling KWs generated by equatorial westerly wind anomalies during negative IOD further constrain the oligotrophy-limited phytoplankton baseline, resulting in a substantially weaker biological response. Within the KWs framework, underwater topography enhances regional sensitivity to KWs forcing, thereby amplifying the asymmetric phytoplankton biomass responses. Our findings imply that the projected increase in extreme positive IOD events will likely enhance primary production, with possible implications for regional fisheries.
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -