Some Physical Characteristics of Andaman Sea Waters during Winter

Abstract

Based on the data collected during the cruises of R V Gaveshani in Jan-Feb of 1979 and 1980 around the Andaman Islands, 6 transects are selected, along which the present study on some physical properties of the waters derived from the distributions of temperature, salinity and sigma t is made, and on the basis of which the presence of certain water masses are identified and discussed The thickness of the surface mixed layer varies, in general, from 25 to 80 m Persian Gulf water is identified in the depth range 200-500m as a high salinity (~635.1 ppt) water with temperatures varying from 10-12 degrees C and sigma t from 26.7-27 Below this, in the depth range 500-900 m, a water mass with a salinity of about 35 ppt temperature between 7 degrees and 9.5 degrees C and sigma t between 27 and 27.4 shows characteristics of a mixture of Persian Gulf and Red Sea waters At depths of about 1500m and below the waters on the eastern side of the Andaman Islands are warmer than on the western side The general characteristics of the thermocline, halocline, and pycnocline in sectional profiles are presented.