Satellite observations of phytoplankton enrichments around seamounts in the South West Indian Ocean with a special focus on the Walters Shoal

Spatial anomalies associated with seamounts and islands have been detected in the South West Indian Ocean using a new surface chlorophyll-a based enrichment index (EI). Calculated from daily L3 4-km MODIS chl-a data from 2003 to 2018, the EI was used to quantify recurrent (seasonal) surface enrichment associated with these features. Most notable were the shallow Walters Shoal (18 m) and nearby deeper WS-2 seamount (480 m), both located on the...