Structure of the oceanic mixed layer in western Bay of Bengal during MONEX

Abstract

Based on the hourly BT and six hourly CSTD data, collected from two stations in the western Bay of Bengal during July 1979, the diurnal variations of temperature in the oceanic mixed layer (OML) were analysed as a function of the prevailing surface layer conditions of the overlying atmosphere. Structure of OML, as delineated with respect to the diurnal variation of temperature with depth, revealed three sub-layers: wave mixed, diurnal thermocline and transition layer. The first two sub-layers of OML showed immediate responses to the changes in surface meteorological forcings. Surface were mixing, convective activity and internal waves were found to be the main physical processes to effect the thickness of wave mixed, diurnal thermocline and transition layer respectively