The Surface Circulation of the Northern Arabian Sea
Abstract
Prior to the Arabian Sea Expedition of 1994-1995, researchers' understanding of the northern Arabian Sea's response to the seasonally reversing monsoon cycle was based on climatological ship drift reports (Cutler and Swallow, 1984). Although occasional expeditions to the region provided new insights (e.g., Elliot and Savidge, 1990; Bauer et al., 1991) an integrated understanding of the mesoscale response to the monsoon cycle relative to the mean seasonal circulation was lacking. That the best estimates of the surface forcing resulted from monthly composites of ship wind observations complicated efforts to understand this highly variable region. Hence, it is not surprising that prominent among the recent discoveries are the pronounced spatial and temporal structure of the monsoon atmospheric forcing, and the importance of mesoscale variability in the associated ocean response. Among the important mesoscale features are coastal jets and filaments along the Oman coast during the Southwest Monsoon that are capable of exporting nutrient-rich upwelled water hundreds of kilometers offshore. This paper reviews observational and modelling studies of the seasonal response of the northern Arabian Sea circulation to the monsoon cycle with a focus on results from the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) Arabian Sea Expedition of 1994-1995. Emphasis is placed on the circulation features north of approximately 10 degrees north. An excellent review of the basin-wide circulation features, including results from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) efforts of 1994-1996 can be found in a recent article by Schott and McCreary (2001). (2 figures)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA414460
Entities
People
- John C. Kindle
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory