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Formation and spreading of Arabian Sea high-salinity water mass

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title Formation and spreading of Arabian Sea high-salinity water mass
 
Creator PrasannaKumar, S.
Prasad, T.G.
 
Subject water masses
salinity
water temperature
seasonal variations
sigma-t
equatorial circulation
atmospheric forcing
heat transfer
 
Description The formation and seasonal spreading of the Arabian Sea High-Salinity Water (ASHSW) mass were studied based on the monthly mean climatology of temperature and salinity in the Arabian Sea, north of the equator and west of 80 degrees E, on a 2 degrees x 2 degrees grid. The ASHSW forms in the northern Arabian Sea during winter and spreads southward along a 24 sigma-t surfacae against the prevailing weak zonal currents. The eastern extent of the core is limited by the strong northward coastal current flowing along the west coast of India. During the southwest monsoon the northern part of the core shoals undet the influence of the Findlater Jet, while the southern part deepens. Throughout the year the southward extent of the ASHSW in inhibited by the equatorial currents. The atmospheric forcing that leads to the formation of ASHSW was delineated using the monthly mean climatology of heat and freshwater fluxes. Monsoon winds dominate all the flux fields during summer (June-September), while latent heat release during the relative calm of the winter (November-February) monsoon, driven by cool, dry continental air from the north, results in an increased density of the surface layer. Thus excess evaporation over precipitation and turbulent heat loss exceeding the radiative heat gain cool the surface waters of the northern Arabian Sea during winter and drive convective formation of ASHSW
 
Date 2009-01-10T11:35:47Z
2009-01-10T11:35:47Z
1999
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Journal of Geophysical Research (C: Oceans), Vol.104; 1455-1464p.
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/1822
 
Language en
 
Rights Copyright [1999]. All efforts have been made to respect the copyright to the best of our knowledge. Inadvertent omissions, if brought to our notice, stand for correction and withdrawal of document from this repository.
 
Publisher American Geophysical Union