Coupling of hydrography and bio-optical constituents in a shallow optically complex region using ten years of in-situ data

•The water column showed dominance of absorption with maximum Chl-a concentration.•Scattering was dominated in water with maximum TSM.•CDOM and Chl-a showed non-conservative behavior during the pre and post ISM seasons.•Stratification plays a significant role in determining the bio-optical properties.