Role of freshwater influx in various thermo dynamical processes in bay of bengal and southeastern arabian sea

Abstract

The Bay of Bengal and the surrounding coastal region receives the highest rainfall in the world during summer monsoon As a consequence of heavy rainfall and terrestrial runoff from several large rivers Bay of Bengal turns into one of the freshest sub-tropical ocean regions in the world This thesis aims to explore the three major aspects of freshwater influx into the Bay of Bengal by carrying out the following tasks Study the inter-annual variability in freshening of the northern Bay of Bengal Assess the impact of stratification and temperature inversion on the intensification of cyclones Study the role of thick barrier layer and entrainment of subsurface cool waters in the spring transition warming of the southeastern Arabian Sea The large influx of freshwater into the Bay of Bengal and advection of these low saline waters into the Arabian Sea influence the thermal and dynamical properties of both the basins The continuous data obtained from in-situ platforms named Ocean Moored Network for the Northern Indian Ocean OMNI buoys deployed at strategically significant locations were analysed to assess the impact of freshwater influx in both the basins. newline