A Profiling Float System for the Northern Arabian Sea
Abstract
We propose to purchase a set of profiling floats to form an upper ocean observing system for the Northern Arabian Sea. These profiling floats will form a network of sensors to measure vertical profiles of temperature and salinity, as well subsurface ocean currents, the internal waves field and the surface wave state. The proposed sensors are a new, smaller, more efficient version of larger Argo-style profiling floats, and are capable of being air-deployed and have enhanced sensing capabilities. The Northern Arabian Sea is an area of intense air-sea interaction, and in particular the ocean is strongly influenced by the seasonal monsoon cycle. The shift in the monsoon winds reverses the basin’s circulation including its western boundary current, the Somali Current. The Somali Current is powerful western boundary current with surface speeds in excess of 2 m s-1, that change from northeastward in summer to southwestward in winter. The Somali Current is connected with nearby currents such as the East African Coastal Current, the Southern Gyre, the Great Whirl, the Socotra Eddy and the South Equatorial Counter Current. The physics of the reversal of the Somali Current and of the exchanges with the contiguous currents are poorly understood. A time-mean climatology is not representative of the circulation at any time of the year as Eulerian seasonal averages lead to the appearance of connectivity between current systems that does not exist in reality. Additionally, a set of deeper undercurrents is also known to exist, though is poorly described owing to the sparsity of observations in the region. Finally, as a region of large air-sea momentum, heat and freshwater fluxes, it is important to understand the physics of the air-sea interaction including surface waves that control the upper ocean state. Specifically mixed layer depth, sea surface temperature, and sea surface state are all important operational parameters, and it is vital to have observations to test our models of them. The extraordinary temporal variability of the Arabian Sea circulation makes it one of the most challenging regions to study.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141512903
Entities
People
- Steven R. Jayne
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution