On the accuracy of the simple ocean data assimilation analysis for estimating heat budgets of the near-surface Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal

The accuracy of data from the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) model for estimating the heat budget of the upper ocean is tested in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. SODA is able to reproduce the changes in heat content when they are forced more by the winds, as in wind-forced mixing, upwelling, and advection, but not when they are forced exclusively by surface heat fluxes, as in the warming before the summer monsoon

Seasonal cycle of hydrography in the Bab el Mandab region, Southern Red Sea

The seasonal cycle of temperature - salinity variations in the Bab el Mandab region (southern Red Sea) is described using CTD data collected during four cruises spread over the period May 1995 - August 1997. A two layer system exists during early summer, winter and spring while a three layer system exists during summer. During summer, a large amount of the Gulf of Aden water intrudes into the Bab el Mandab region; up to the northern limit (14.5°N). The quantity of Red Sea water that flows into the Gulf of Aden is maximum during the winter and minimum during the summer

The Indian Ocean forecast system

In order to meet the ever growing demand for the prediction of oceanographic parametres in the Indian Ocean for a variety of applications, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has recently set-up an operational ocean forecast system, viz. the Indian Ocean Forecast System (INDOFOS). This fully automated system, based on a state-of-the-art ocean general circulation model issues six-hourly forecasts of the sea-surface temperature, surface currents and depths of the mixed layer and the thermocline up to five-days of lead time. A brief account of INDOFOS and a statistical validation of the forecasts of these parametres using in situ and remote sensing data are presented in this article. The accuracy of the sea-surface temperature forecasts by the system is high in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, whereas it is moderate in the equatorial Indian Ocean. On the other hand, the accuracy of the depth of the thermocline and the isothermal layers and surface current forecasts are higher near the equatorial region, while it is relatively lower in the Bay of Bengal

Why is Bay of Bengal warmer than Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon?

The near-surface Bay of Bengal remains significantly warmer than the Arabian Sea during summer monsoon (June-September). Analysis of the heat budgets of the near-surface Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal shows significant differences between them during the summer monsoon. In the Arabian Sea, the winds associated with the summer monsoon are stronger and favour the transfer of heat to deeper layers owing to overturning and turbulent mixing. In contrast, the weaker winds over the bay force a relatively sluggish oceanic circulation that is unable to overturn, forcing a heat-budget balance between the surface fluxes and diffusion and the rate of change of heat in the near-surface layer

Diurnal and semidiurnal tidal currents in the deep mid-Arabian Sea

Current meter records from two depths, approximately 1000 and 3000 m, at three moorings in the deep mid-Arabian Sea were used to study tidal components. Tidal ellipses for the semi-diurnal (M2, S2 and K2) and the diurnal (K1, and P1) tidal constituents have been determined using the currents recorded at hourly intervals during May 1986-May 1987. The clockwise rotating M2 tidal currents were the strongest. The maximum horizontal velocities due to M2,S2 and K1 tides were 2.2 cm/s, l.0cm/s and 0.89 cm/s respectively. The amplitudes of the other two constituents (P1, and K2) were much smaller. The barotropic M2 ellipses have been estimated by averaging the M2 tidal currents at the upper and lower levels. Although the amplitudes of computed ellipses are lower than those that have been predicted using numerical models of global tidal model, their orientations are the same

Monsoon onset over Kerala and pre monsoon rainfall peak

In the present study the pentad Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) estimate have been used, which is a blended product of microwave, infrared and in-situ gauge data for the region bounded by 8 ° - 13 ° N; 70 ° - 95 ° E, from 1st March to 31st May for the years 1979 to 2001. The monsoon onset dates over Kerala, as declared by India Meteorological Department has been used in the present study. For each year, the midday of the pentad with the rainfall peak was looked for in the period from 1st April to 10th May and identified as the Pre Monsoon Rainfall Peak (PMRP). The analysis showed that PMRP exists about seven pentads prior to the onset of the monsoon over Kerala coast. The correlation between PMRP date and the monsoon onset date over Kerala was found to be 0.72, which was statistically significant. Thus, as is felt that the pre monsoon rainfall estimate from the satellite data can be used for predicting the monsoon onset over Kerala coast. The results and the methodology used are briefly presented

On the diurnal ranges of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the North Indian Ocean

This paper describes the variability in the diurnal range of SST in the north Indian Ocean using in situ measurements and tests the suitability of simple regression models in estimating the diurnal range. SST measurements obtained from 1556 drifting and 25 moored buoys were used to determine the diurnal range of SSTs. The magnitude of diurnal range of SST was highest in spring and lowest in summer monsoon. Except in spring, nearly 75-80% of the observations reported diurnal range below 0.5°C. The distributions of the magnitudes of diurnal warming across the three basins of north Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Equatorial Indian Ocean) were similar except for the differences between the Arabian Sea and the other two basins during November-February (winter monsoon) and May. The magnitude of diurnal warming that depended on the location of temperature sensor below the water level varied with seasons. In spring, the magnitude of diurnal warming diminished drastically with the increase in the depth of temperature sensor. The diurnal range estimated using the drifting buoy data was higher than the diurnal range estimated using moored buoys fitted with temperature sensors at greater depths. A simple regression model based on the peak solar radiation and average wind speed was good enough to estimate the diurnal range of SST at ~1.0 m in the north Indian Ocean during most of the seasons except under low wind-high solar radiation conditions that occur mostly during spring. The additional information on the rate of precipitation is found to be redundant for the estimation of the magnitude of diurnal warming at those depths

The Great Tsunami of 26 December 2004: A description based on tide-gauge data from the Indian subcontinent and surrounding areas

The Great Tsunami of 26 December 2004 is described using data from seven tide gauges in India and others from surrounding areas in the Indian Ocean. The tsunami struck the Indian east coast around 0330 UTC. The amplitude was 2 m above the tide at Chennai, Paradip, and Colombo. The east coast of India (and of Sri Lanka) was hit shortly after high tide; Tuticorin and Colombo, however, were hit shortly after low tide. The tsunami wave propagated northward along the Indian west coast. All these gauges are to the west of the earthquake zone and the detided sea levels show first a rise in sea level with the arrival of the tsunami, and then a sharp decrease. Spectral and wavelet analysis of the detided series show that the maximum amplitude was at a period of 35-45 minutes, with another maximum around 20 minutes. Along the Indian east coast, however, there is another broad peak between 1-2 hours within the first few hours after the first tsunami wave

The application of reliability methods in the design of stiffened FRP composite panels for marine vessels

The use of composite laminate materials has increased rapidly in recent years due to their excellent strength to weight ratio and resistance to corrosion. In the construction of marine vessels, stiffened plates are the most commonly used structural elements, forming the deck, bottom hull, side shells and bulkheads. This paper presents the use of a stochastic approach to the design of stiffened marine composite panels as part of a current research programme into developing stochastic methods for composite ship structures, accounting for variations in material properties, geometric indices and processing techniques, from the component level to the full system level. An analytical model for the solution of a stiffened isotropic plate using a grillage analogy is extended by the use of equivalent elastic properties for composite modelling. This methodology is applied in a reliability analysis of an isotropic (steel) stiffened plate before the final application for a reliability analysis for a FRP composite stiffened plate

Performance of the tsunami forecast system for the Indian Ocean

The Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS) at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad, is responsible for issuing tsunami bulletins in India. The tsunami centre oper- ates on a 24×7 basis and monitors seismological sta- tions, bottom pressure recorders and tidal stations throughout the Indian Ocean to evaluate potentially tsunamigenic earthquakes and disseminating tsunami bulletins. The end-to-end capabilities of this warning system have been well proven during all the tsunami- genic earthquakes that occurred since September 2007. Comparison of the earthquake parameters estimated by ITEWS with other international seismological agencies suggests that the system is performing well and has achieved the target set up by the Inter- governmental Oceanographic Commission