Hydrography and circulation in the northwestern Bay of Bengal during the retreat of southwest monsoon

The distribution of temperature and salinity in the upper 500 m of the northwestern Bay of Bengal, adjoining the east coast of India, during the retreat of southwest monsoon (September) of 1983 is presented. This study reveals coastal upwelling (limited to the upper 40 m) induced by the local winds. Waters of higher surface salinity near the coast characterize the upwelling. The freshwater influx near the head of the Bay diluted the surface salinity to as low as 26.0 × 10⁻³. The surface circulation was weak and led to a net transport of 2.0 × 10⁶m³.s⁻¹ directed towards northeast.     

Evidence for anisotropy in the super-thick sedimentary basin,Bay of Bengal

Evidence for anisotropy in the super-thick sedimentary basin under the northern Bay of Bengal is presented. Surface wave group velocity data given by Brune and Singh (1986) is better fit by an anisotropic model than an isotropic one. This lends support to the hypothesis that the mid-crustal rocks are metasediments and that the section of sediments and metasediments is more than 20 km thick.     

Geochemistry of core sediments from the southeastern Bay of Bengal:Inferences on weathering and early diagenetic changes

A sediment core(ABP24/05),collected at a water depth of 3520 m from the southeastern Bay of Bengal was studied to determine the change in chemical weathering during the last glacial to deglacial periods and the factors of sedimentary environment which controlled earliest diagenetic changes in the sediment after its deposition.High ratios of K/Rb,Ti/Al and Zr/Rb during~45 to~18 cal kyr B.P.in the core sediments may be attributed to the stronger physical erosion and turbidity currents activity during this period.This might have brought a higher quantity of unaltered minerals to the study area.Low ratios of K/Rb,Zr/Rb,and Ti/Al and increase of SiO₂/TiO₂,Rb/Al and Cs/Al from~18 cal kyr B.P.to present may be indicating an increase in the rate of chemical weathering during this period.The time of increased chemical weathering in the study area is consistent with deglaciation warming in the tropical Indian Ocean and strengthening of river runoff into the Andaman Sea.Climate change during the interglacial period by increased solar insolation thereby strengthened the summer monsoon which might have led to intensified chemical weathering in the source region since~18 cal kyr B.P.The low organic carbon(OC),high Mn/Al,Fe/Al and the Mn-oxides minerals precipitation indicate prevailing of oxic conditions during~11 cal kyr B.P.in the core sediments,which is contradictory to suboxic conditions developed in the deep ocean sediments in the western Bay of Bengal and the equatorial Indian Ocean.The low terrigenous influx and export of less OC to the bottom sediments might have created a favorable condition for the formation of Mn-oxides in the study area during Holocene.     

An experimental study of radiative fluxes in the south Bay of Bengal during BOBMEX 1999

Time series measurements of radiative fluxes were made onboard INS Sagardhwani (SD) in the south Bay of Bengal near DS3 (13‡N and 87‡E) during the BOBMEX field experiment. An inter-comparison experiment conducted at DS3 showed that the radiative fluxes measured by Kipp and Zonen, Albedo meter and net Pyrgeometer onboard SD and by Eppley radiometers onboard ORV Sagar Kanya (SK) are well matched. It may be mentioned that the measurements showed consistency and good agreement between SD and SK ships, even though no Gimbal mounting was used for radiation instruments onboard SD. The main aim of the experiment was collection of high quality radiation data during the monsoon period, which can give an insight into the nature of the ocean-atmosphere coupling. The data on the four radiative fluxes collected on SD are averaged at 5 minute intervals and then hourly and daily averages have been computed. The hourly shortwave albedo and the atmospheric transmission factor are also computed and the variation of albedo in relation to the solar altitude and the transmissivity factor (TF) are studied. The mean albedo over the south Bay of Bengal under clear, partly cloudy and overcast skies are found to be 0.05, 0.07 and 0.2 respectively.     

A study on the structure of the convective atmosphere over the Bay of Bengal during BOBMEX-99

Convective activity is one of the major processes in the atmosphere influencing the local and large-scale weather in the tropics. The latent heat released by the cumulus cloud is known to drive monsoon circulation, which on the other hand supplies the moisture that maintains the cumulus clouds. An investigation is carried out on the convective structure of the atmosphere during active and suppressed periods of convection using data sets obtained from the Bay of Bengal and Monsoon Experiment (BOBMEX). The cumulus convection though being a small-scale phenomenon, still influences its embedding environment by interaction through various scales. This study shows the variation in the kinematic and convective parameters during the transition from suppressed to active periods of convection. Convergence in the lower levels and strong upward vertical velocity, significant during active convection are associated with the formation of monsoon depressions. The apparent heat source due to latent heat release and the vertical transport of the eddy heat by cumulus convection, and the apparent moisture sink due to net condensation and vertical divergence of the eddy transport of moisture, are estimated through residuals of the thermodynamic equation and examined in relation to monsoon activity during BOBMEX.     

孟加拉湾深海记录中的等深流活动特征及其环境意义初探

实地观测和对沉积记录的研究表明，孟加拉湾存在大的等深流活动。通过采自孟加拉深海东部和中部的3支活塞岩心的学积学研究表明，那些氧化色彩强烈，钼质生物壳体溶蚀严重，不存在粒序层理的粉砂质薄层实际上是等沉积作用的产物，源自两极的等深流是全球温盐循环系统的关键组分，它们的过去150ka的历史中曾经多次得到强化，不仅对研究区的环境变化产生重要影响，而且可能作为纽带，加强了低纬地区与极区在气候意义上的遥相关，等深流的强化与冰川旋顺之间似乎不存在密切关联，氧同位素第3，4，5期内均可发现明显的强化记录，关于强化的控制机制有待深入探讨。     

Controls of dimethyl sulphide in the Bay of Bengal during BOBMEX-Pilot cruise 1998

The air-sea exchange is one of the main mechanisms maintaining the abundances of trace gases in the atmosphere. Some of these, such as carbon dioxide and dimethyl sulphide (DMS), will have a bearing on the atmospheric heat budget. While the former facilitates the trapping of radiation (greenhouse effect) the latter works in the opposite direction through reflectance of radiation back into space by sulphate aerosols that form from oxidation of DMS in atmosphere. Here we report on the first measurements made on DMS in the Bay of Bengal and the factors regulating its abundance in seawater. Phytoplankton alone does not seem to control the extent of DMS concentrations. We find that changes in salinity could effectively regulate the extent of DMSP production by marine phytoplankton. In addition, we provide the first ever evidence to the occurrence of DMS precursor, DMSP, in marine aerosols collected in the boundary layer. This suggests that the marine aerosol transport of DMSP will supplement DMS gaseous evasion in maintaining the atmospheric non-sea salt sulphur budget.     

On the impossibility of the co-existence of monsoons and severe storm surges in the Bay of Bengal

The problem of storm surges is introduced briefly. The utility of passive microwave observations to study this phenomenon is pointed out. The reasons for the nonoccurrence of severe surges in the Bay of Bengal, during monsoon regimes, is discussed in this paper. It was demonstrated that the predominant reason for lack of severe surges over the Bay of Bengal coast is due to the absence of weak wind shear during monsoon seasons.Atmospheric Environment Service, Ice Center, Environment Canada, 373 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OH3.     

Distribution of particulate organic carbon in the central Bay of Bengal

Particulate organic carbon (POC) was measured for 77 water samples collected over a 3000 m water column along 88° E in the central Bay of Bengal. The POC values varied from 80 to 895 μg per litre at the surface and 171 to 261 μg per litre at 2000 m. The POC decreased with increasing water depth at all the stations. Deep water concentrations of POC were higher than those reported from other oceanic waters. Distribution of POC was not influenced by water masses. The POC was not significantly correlated with chlorophylla.     

Amino sugars in suspended particulate matter from the Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon of 2001

Amino sugars (AS) are important constituents of organic matter. However, very little is known about their cycling in marine waters. In this research, we assessed the distribution and cycling of these compounds in waters of the Bay of Bengal. For this purpose, samples of suspended particu late matter (SPM) were collected from 8 depths (surface to 1000 m) at 6 locations during the 166th cruise of the ORV Sagar Kanya in the Bay of Bengal in July/August 2001. The SPM samples were analysed for particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate nitrogen (PN) and AS concentrations and composition. The AS varied between 0.4 and 17.5 nmol/l. Concentrations were high in the surface waters and generally decreased with increasing depth. AS concentration decreased from the south to north. AS accounted for 0.01 to 0.71% and 0.05 to 2.37% of POC and PN, respectively. Rapid decrease in AS-C% and AS-N% with depth indicates that these compounds were preferentially degraded relative to bulk POC and PN. The composition of AS suggests that glucosamine (GLU-N) and galactosamine (GAL-N) were present in the surface SPM samples, and their abundance decreased from surface downwards. Relatively, low values of GLU-N/GAL-N ratio indicate that the organic matter was mostly derived from the detritus of micro-organisms. Our data suggest that chitin, a polymer of the glucosamine produced by many marine organisms was not the major source of AS in the Bay. Rapid cycling of these compounds indicates their importance in the cycling of nitrogen in marine waters     

Role of biology in the air-sea carbon flux in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea

A physical-biological-chemical model (PBCM) is used for investigating the seasonal cycle of air-sea carbon flux and for assessing the effect of the biological processes on seasonal time scale in the Arabian Sea (AS) and Bay of Bengal (BoB), where the surface waters are subjected to contrasting physical conditions. The formulation of PBCM is given in Swathi et al (2000), and evaluation of several ammonium-inhibited nitrate uptake models is given in Sharada et al (2005). The PBCM is here first evaluated against JGOFS data on surface pCO₂ in AS, Bay of Bengal Process Studies (BoBPS) data on column integrated primary productivity in BoB, and WOCE Il data on dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and alkalinity (ALK) in the upper 500 meters at 9°N in AS and at 10°N in BoB in September–October. There is good qualitative agreement with local quantitative discrepancies. The net effect of biological processes on air-sea carbon flux on seasonal time scale is determined with an auxiliary computational experiment, called the abiotic run, in which the biological processes are turned off. The difference between the biotic run and abiotic run is interpreted as the net effect of biological processes on the seasonal variability of chemical variables. The net biological effect on air-sea carbon flux is found to be highest in southwest monsoon season in the northwest AS, where strong upwelling drives intense new production. The biological effect is larger in AS than in BoB, as seasonal upwelling and mixing are strong in AS, especially in the northeast, while coastal upwelling and mixing are weak in BoB.     

May 2003 Disaster in Sri Lanka and Cyclone 01-B in the Bay of Bengal

Heavy rainfall deluged South-Western Sri Lanka between the 11th and19th of May 2003 and led to its worst disaster in 50 years. Floods andlandslides claimed 260 lives. The World Meteorological Organizationcited it as evidence for the increase of anomalous climatic extremes inrecent years. Here, a meteorological analysis is presented of this disasteras part of a sustained effort to undertake meteorological applications fordisaster management. There were intense low-level westerlies over SriLanka related to cyclone 01-B that made its way across the Bay of Bengalat least 700 km away. The southeastwardly traverse of the cyclone wasstalled for a few days by anomalous north-westerly geostrophic windsver South Asia. Here, it is argued that orographic rainfall induced bythis stalled cyclone and seasonal inter-tropical convergence zone cloudbands over Sri Lanka led to the deluge. The trajectory of the cyclone wasremote from Sri Lanka and this led to no cyclone hazard warnings beingissued. No cyclones have made landfall in Sri Lanka in May in the last100 years. This study shows that one must exercise vigilance not only inthe path of the cyclone but also remotely due to the modulation of thecyclone by other atmospheric phenomenon and topographic features.This flood may have been predicted with contemporary local area weatherprediction models and this example points to the need for the developmentof local area weather prediction models as part of disaster warning systems.This study also demonstrates the use of meteorological diagnostics forpost-event analysis of hydrometeorology of disaster events.     

Spatial distribution of atmospheric carbon monoxide over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea: Measurements during pre-monsoon period of 2006

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) conducted the ‘Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB)’ for a two-month pre-monsoon period in 2006 with the ocean segment covering Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. During this campaign, carbon monoxide (CO) was continuously monitored using a non-dispersive IR analyser. Quantifying CO in ambient air is vital in determining the air quality of a region. Being toxic, CO is a criteria pollutant, but it is a weak green house gas. Globally, very few measurements exist over marine atmospheres to study its temporal pattern; particularly in situ CO measurements are few over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea for comparison. Present measurements indicate: (i) predominant single peak in the diurnal pattern of CO over the marine atmosphere in contrast to the double peak over the continent, (ii) the mean diurnal CO over the marine atmosphere showing an increasing trend towards evening hours, (iii) the amplitude of the AN peaks over the marine atmosphere was ∼ 100 ppbv, while at a remote island site in the Indian Ocean it was ∼ 5 ppbv and (iv) high CO values were observed close to continent and the long range transport by wind also caused CO highs.     

Seasonal Variability of Cyclone Heat Potential in the Bay of Bengal

Monthly maps of cyclone heat potential (CHP) in the Bay of Bengalhave been prepared by using Levitus climatological data set. Seasonal variability ofCHP in the Bay of Bengal has been studied using the CTD data sets collected duringfive cruises during the period, 1993–1996. High value (>30 kcal/cm²) of CHP coincided with anticyclonic gyre (ACG) and the low value of CHP (16 kcal/cm²) coincided with thecyclonic gyre (CG). This emphasizes the importance of gyres in the distribution ofCHP, which play an important role in the intensification of cyclones/depressions.CHP is >14 kcal/cm² over Andaman Sea, southern and Central Bay of Bengal where the generation and movement of cyclones take place during post south west monsoon season (October–November). A depression formed on 07.11.95 at 11°N; 91°E and intensified into a cyclonic storm by 8th November evening and crossed Orissa Coast on 9th November 1995. A few days before its formation, the value of CHP at the origin of thiscyclone was about 20 kcal/cm². To understand the exact role of CHP in theformation and intensification of cyclones/depressions over Bay of Bengal, more intense and systematic data sets are essential.     

孟加拉湾地区大陆边缘盆地勘探概况与油气富集主控因素

孟加拉湾位于印度大陆以东、缅甸-安达曼-苏门答腊以西、孟加拉国南部海上地区,该区存在主动和被动两种不同类型的大陆边缘,并发育众多大陆边缘含油气盆地。根据板块位置和构造特征将其划分为三大类,分别是:被动大陆边缘盆地(马哈纳迪、K-G和高韦里盆地);主动大陆边缘盆地(若开、缅甸中央、马达班、安达曼和北苏门答腊盆地);残留洋盆地(孟加拉盆地)。根据火山岛弧带分布情况进一步将主动大陆边缘盆地划分为:①海沟型——若开盆地;②弧前型——缅甸中央盆地;③弧后型——马达班、安达曼和北苏门答腊盆地。对这些盆地油气勘探情况的统计与分析表明,该区大陆边缘盆地的油气分布主控因素为:烃源岩类型与有机质丰度决定了流体性质与资源强度;大型河流—三角洲形成富油气区;盆地类型、性质及晚期构造活动强度决定区带勘探潜力。     

孟加拉湾若开褶皱带晚新生代构造特征初步研究

孟加拉湾若开褶皱带位于印度-缅甸山脉西部山前,由NNW—SSE向带状分布的多排背斜构成,其构造特征研究仍然十分薄弱。本文通过钻井资料和二维地震反射剖面精细构造解析,尝试分析若开褶皱带晚新生代构造特征,重点关注若开褶皱带的滑脱层发育特征及背斜几何学及运动学特征,结果表明若开褶皱带发育多个滑脱层:①底部滑脱层,位于约6.5s(双程走时)处;②中部滑脱层,层位存在变化,可能位于第四系底部或上中新统下方约2.5s处。在区域挤压作用下,若开褶皱带发育与底部滑脱层和中部滑脱层相关的滑脱褶皱,构造变形主要受控于底部滑脱层,而中部滑脱层影响了局部构造变形。生长地层记录显示若开褶皱带构造变形自东往西迁移,变形前缘形成于第四纪。基于构造分析结果提出了若开褶皱带褶皱变形的两种运动学端元模型:模型1中不发育中部滑脱层,滑脱褶皱发育于底部滑脱层之上;模型2中发育中部滑脱层,滑脱褶皱发育于中部滑脱层和底部滑脱层之上,形成上、下两套构造层。若开褶皱带背斜几何学和运动学特征受下伏滑脱层控制,背斜在走向上叠置、分叉可能暗示着背斜下伏滑脱层在走向上发生了改变。流体超压可能是影响若开褶皱带构造变形的重要控制因素。     

Fluxes of material in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal — Sediment trap studies

In order to investigate how monsoons influence biogeochemical fluxes in the ocean, twelve time-series sediment traps were deployed at six locations in the northern Indian Ocean. In this paper we present particle flux data collected during May 1986 to November 1991 and November 1987 to November 1992 in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal respectively. Particle fluxes were high during both the SW and NE monsoons in the Arabian Sea as well as in the Bay of Bengal. The mechanisms of particle production and transport, however, differ in both the regions. In the Arabian Sea, average annual fluxes are over 50gm^-2y^-1 in the western Arabian Sea and less than 27gm^-2 y^-1 in the central part. Biogenic matter is dominant at sites located near upwelling centers, and is less degraded during peak flux periods. High particle fluxes in the offshore areas of the Arabian Sea are caused by injection of nutrients into the euphotic zone due to wind-induced mixed layer deepening. In the Bay of Bengal, average annual fluxes are highest in the central Bay of Bengal (over 50gm^-2y^-1) and are least in the southern part of the Bay (37gm^-2y^-1). Particle flux patterns coincide with freshwater discharge patterns of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system. Opal/carbonate and organic carbon/carbonate carbon ratios increase during the SW monsoon due to variations in salinity and productivity patterns in the surface waters as a result of increased freshwater and nutrient input from rivers. Comparison of S years data show that fluxes of biogenic and lithogenic particulate matter are higher in the Bay of Bengal even though the Arabian Sea is considered to be more productive. Our results indicate that in the northern Indian Ocean interannual variability in organic carbon flux is directly related to the strength and intensity of the SW monsoon while its transfer from the upper layers to the deep sea is partly controlled by input of lithogenic matter from adjacent continents.     

孟加拉湾若开海域晚新生代构造变形及其对油气的控制作用

利用钻井、二维和三维地震资料,剖析了孟加拉湾若开海域晚新生代的构造变形特征,探讨了构造变形对油气的控制作用。区域深度地质剖面揭示,研究区南部仅发育底部滑脱层(深度10 km),而北部则发育底部滑脱层(深度12 km)和中部滑脱层(深度4 km);受滑脱层的控制,研究区南部仅发育一套构造层,而北部则发育变形不协调的上、下两套构造层;南部背斜的南北向延伸距离、波长及背斜间隔距离均明显大于北部。通过北部局部构造精细解析表明,研究区北部变形相对较复杂,上构造层主要发育近南北向的背斜和次级张扭性右旋走滑断层,二者形成时间分别为晚第四纪和晚第四纪末。若开海域晚新生代的构造变形对圈闭形成、油气运聚和保存条件具有重要的控制作用。指出研究区南部平缓褶皱带构造—岩性复合圈闭具备形成大油气田的条件,是下一步油气勘探的重要目标。     

Evolution of salinity field in the upper layers of the east central Arabian Sea and northern Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon experiments

The intra-seasonal variability observed in the salinity field of the upper layers at a few locations in the east central Arabian Sea and the northern Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon seasons of 1977 and 1979 is documented with the aid of short time series (1–2 weeks) of salinity measurements made from USSR and Indian ships deployed during MONSOON-77 (1977) and MONEX-79 (1979) field experiments. In the Arabian Sea a typical subsurface maxima observed beneath the mixed layer base either disappeared or considerably weakened due to strong vertical mixing caused by the monsoonal forcing. In the northern Bay of Bengal the salinity variability in the top 30 m water column was rapid and appeared to be influenced by large amounts of fresh water from rain and probably from the major adjoining rivers. Some simple diagnostic calculations are presented to assess the relative importance of various processes which control the observed salinity variability.