What Controls Seasonal Evolution of Sea Surface Temperature in the Bay of Bengal?

Thangaprakash, VP and Girishkumar, MS and Suprit, K and Kumar, Suresh N and Chaudhuri, Dipanjan and Dinesh, K and Kumar, Ashok and Shivaprasad, S and Ravichandran, M and Farrar, Thomas J and Sundar, R and Weller, Robert A (2016) What Controls Seasonal Evolution of Sea Surface Temperature in the Bay of Bengal? In: OCEANOGRAPHY, 29 (2, SI). pp. 202-213.

PDF Oce_29-2_202_2016.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (2MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Continuous time-series measurements of near surface meteorological and ocean variables obtained from Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) moorings at 15 degrees N, 90 degrees E; 12 degrees N, 90 degrees E; and 8 degrees N, 90 degrees E and an Ocean Moored buoy Network for Northern Indian Ocean (OMNI) mooring at 18 degrees N, 90 degrees E are used to improve understanding of air-sea interaction processes and mixed layer (ML) temperature variability in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) at seasonal time scales. Consistent with earlier studies, this analysis reveals that net surface heat flux primarily controls the ML heat balance. The penetrative component of shortwave radiation plays a crucial role in the ML heat budget in the BoB, especially during the spring warming phase when the ML is thin. During winter and summer, vertical processes contribute significantly to the ML heat budget. During winter, the presence of a strong barrier layer and a temperature inversion (warmer water below the ML) leads to warming of the ML by entrainment of warm subsurface water into the ML. During summer, the barrier layer is relatively weak, and the ML is warmer than the underlying water (i.e., no temperature inversion); hence, the entrainment cools the mixed layer. The contribution of horizontal advection to the ML heat budget is greatest during winter when it serves to warm the upper ocean. In general, the residual term in the ML heat budget equation is quite large during the ML cooling phase compared to the warming phase when the contribution from vertical heat flux is small.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	OCEANOGRAPHY
Additional Information:	Copy right for this article belongs to the OCEANOGRAPHY SOC, P.O. BOX 1931, ROCKVILLE, MD USA
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Centre for Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Date Deposited:	08 Oct 2016 06:44
Last Modified:	08 Oct 2016 06:44
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/54712

Actions (login required)

View Item