Watermass structure in the Bay of Bengal

Abstract

The distributions of temperature, salinity thermosteric anomaly, density flux function and stability along 88 degrees E in the Bay of Bengal are presented. The surface salinities showed strong gradients both horizontally and vertically in northern Bay of Bengal. Two isolated high salinity pockets coinciding with the 400 cl/t steric surface have been identified as the remnants of the Arabian Sea High Salinity Watermass. The salinity maxima in the depth range of 200-900 m have been explained as due to the penetration of the isohaline layer which forms (at the boundary) when Persian Gulf watermass and Red Sea watermass come in contact in the Arabian Sea. The geostrophic flow pattern shows that the flow is primarily westward except between 12 degrees and 14 degrees N and at extreme southern and northern regions of the section. The mass transport relative to 1000 db is also estimated