Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Role of River fresh water and Tides on the Upper Ocean Mixing and Thermodynamic processes of the Bay of Bengal |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Bijan Kumar Das, Midnapore College, West Bengal |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | bijankumar.das@midnaporecollege.ac.in |
Equipments : | Printer
Workstation |
Details
Executive Summary : | The upper ocean dynamics of the Bay of Bengal (BoB) are complex, influenced by factors such as seasonally reversing monsoon winds, equatorial remote forcing, southern open lateral boundary forcing, river discharge, and tides. Recent studies have reported an increase in upper ocean heat content, impacting the intensification of tropical cyclones produced over the bay. The warm surface temperature of the BoB also influences the global climate change-induced inhomogeneity of Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) rainfall. The influx of low saline river fresh water creates a unique vertical structure, with salinity controlling the upper layer density gradients. This fresh water-induced density stratification traps significant heat in the subsurface, affecting vertical diapycnal mixing and heat fluxes. Tidal buoyancy modulates this stratification and provides high kinetic energy to the subsurface, influencing upper ocean stability. The tidal rectification impacts air-sea fluxes in the bay, influencing the upper ocean thermodynamics. Despite improvements in understanding upper ocean physical processes in the BoB, substantial research gaps remain due to lack of high-resolution observations and modeling. River discharge-driven variations in heat flux components, diffusion, stability, and energy balance need extensive investigations. Studies on the influence of tides on upper ocean mixing and thermodynamic properties are scarce, and the combined influences of fresh water and tides are rare. Proper understanding of the ocean state characteristics of the BoB is crucial for predicting ocean state conditions, air-sea interactions, and the south-east Asian monsoon, which is crucial for the livelihood of almost one third of the planet's population. |
Total Budget (INR): | 17,03,700 |
Organizations involved