Wind-driven circulation and freshwater fluxes off Sri Lanka: 4D-Sampling with Autonomous Gliders

Abstract

The proposed investigation will utilize data collected from Seaglider transits off the southern and eastern coasts of Sri Lanka to" build an understanding of how riverine freshwater input, precipitation and atmospheric forcing act to govern Bay of Bengal upper oc""ean variability, water mass formation and export to the Arabian Sea. Two years of continuous measurements conducted using autonomous"" gliders will be analyzed to:1. Characterize the annual cycle of lateral and vertical structure, water mass variability and mixing" in the southern Bay of Bengal using time series analysis and standard water mass analysis techniques;2. to map the freshwater inflow with co-occurring analysis of atmospheric forcing and these will then be compared to maps of the underlying mesoscale variability in upper ocean structure and sea surface temperature.3. Quantitative analysis of the mid~basin mesoscale processes will be utilize"d (e.g., westward propagating Rossby waves) to understand how processes that modulate exchange between the Bay of Bengal and the Sou"theast Arabian Sea impact flushing of Bay ofBengal freshwater.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
May 05, 2017
Source ID
N000141712510

Entities

People

  • Craig Lee

Organizations

  • Office of Naval Research
  • United States Navy
  • University of Washington

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers
  • Oceanography.

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy