Spring Warming of the Eastern Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal from Buoy Data

Abstract

Observations from moored buoys during spring of 1998–2000 suggest that the warming of the mixed layer (∼20 m deep) of the north Indian Ocean warm pool is a response to net surface heat flux Q net (∼100 W m −2 ) minus penetrative solar radiation Q pen (∼45 W m −2 ). A residual cooling due to vertical mixing and advection is indirectly estimated to be about 25 W m −2 . The rate of warming due to typical values of Q net minus Q pen is not very sensitive to the depth of the mixed layer if it lies between 10 m and 30 m.