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In this study, the upper ocean and subsurface variability during the different phases of the cyclonic storm ROANU along the western Bay of Bengal (BoB) in May 2016 are investigated by using the moored buoys, Argos, HF radar and satellite datasets in the proximity of the cyclone track. The moored buoy observations recorded a decrease of sea surface temperature (SST) by ~ 1 °C all over the track, whereas increase in salinity by ~ 1.5 PSU was detected along with the highest wind speed of 16 m s−1, pressure drop of 14 hPa and air temperature drop of 4 °C. The cooling at the cyclone centers from the satellite data indicated higher (lower) SST drops when translation speed of the cyclone was low (high) and took more (less) time to recover to its pre-cyclone state in southern (northern) BoB. Mostly, higher SST drop was observed along the right side of the cyclone track. Interestingly, the opposite phenomenon occurred before landfall, where SST drop was higher on the left due to upwelling in the head bay as observed both from wave rider buoy (WRB) at Digha and satellite SST. The WRB near Vizag showed the maximum increase in significant wave heights by ~ 2.4 m during the passage of cyclone. Argos also captured cyclone-induced drop in temperature due to upwelling and entrainment reasonably well. In the southwestern bay, significant upwelling was observed from the Argos with drop in temperature and increase in salinity in the upper layers. However, a strong stratification was observed from Argos in the northwestern BoB due to lesser salinity and higher precipitation. The currents from in situ as well as HF radar datasets measured the increase in current magnitude during the passage of ROANU. Rotary spectral analysis showed strong inertial currents with frequency ~ 2.1 days at BD11 location, with higher amplitudes of the clockwise component during the cyclone period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bay of Bengal (BoB) is a distinct oceanic region for mesoscale oceanic eddies. The sea level anomaly from the Archiving, Validation, and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic (AVISO) help to identify an unusual anti-cyclonic eddy (ACE) over head BoB during May-July 2014. Two Indian moored buoys (BD08 and BD09) located over this region aided to study the subsurface thermohaline structures of the ACE. Compared to no-eddy environment, the temperature and salinity showed an increment of ~ 3-4 °C and ~ 1-2 PSU, respectively, during the ACE life period. The temperature and depth of the isothermal layer at genesis (peak) stages are increased to ~ 30 °C (~ 30.7 °C) and ~ 20 m (30 m) when compared with no-eddy conditions (28.2 °C and 10 m). The thermocline depth is deepened to 75 m at the peak stage, while it is 50 m in no-eddy condition. A temperature difference of 3 °C between no-eddy and peak stages of ACE is observed up to 50 m. The ocean heat content (OHC) at BD08 (BD09) during genesis and peak stages has increased by ~ 72% (~ 50%) and ~ 247% (~ 181%), respectively, when compared with no-eddy conditions. Moreover, the MOHC also shows a similar increment of ~ 125% (~ 123%) and ~ 258% (~ 284%), respectively. A noticeable influence is seen in turbulent fluxes and lower atmospheric variables during eddy life. This study highlights the capability of moored buoys in understanding the subsurface thermohaline features of the eddies over northern BoB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustained and real-time ocean observation systems using moored data buoys are vital for understanding ocean dynamics and the variability required for improving oceanographic services, including weather prediction, ocean state forecast, and climate change studies. This paper presents the effectiveness of India's moored data buoy network in capturing the response in the ocean during the cyclonic disturbances formed in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea (AS) during the last 5-year period. The moored buoy network provided critical information about the evolution and intensification of low-pressure systems and supported the India Meteorological Department to improve prediction capabilities by incorporating real-time data. The lowest mean sea-level pressure of 920 hPa was recorded in the BoB during the very severe cyclonic storm Phailin. The warning systems adopted for the effective dissemination of the ocean forecast services to the user community have significantly reduced the loss of life and property in coastal states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes the observed sea surface salinity (SSS) interannual variability in the Bay of Bengal over the 2009-2014 period. It is based on an original compilation of all available in situ SSS observations in that region, assembled in a 2°-resolution trimonthly gridded field. We find that year-to-year SSS variability is particularly strong in the north-eastern part of the bay. Over recent years, this variability takes the form of two successive and opposite phases: a saltening phase from mid-2009 to late 2010, immediately followed by a freshening phase from late 2010 to late 2011. The typical magnitude of each anomalous spell is about one in the practical salinity scale, making this area one of the most variable of the tropical oceans at interannual timescales. A simple mixed-layer salt budget indicates that year-to-year large-scale SSS variability in the Northern Bay of Bengal is primarily driven by freshwater flux variability with a correlation of 0.68, with rather independent contributions from precipitation and river run-off. The oceanic surface circulation variability contributes less systematically to the large-scale SSS evolution in the Northern Bay of Bengal over the entire record with a correlation of 0.13, despite a strong contribution at times, in particular, during the 2011 positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) freshening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moored buoy network deployed in the Bay of Bengal played a critical role in the collection and transmission of surface meteorological and oceanographic conditions in real time through satellite telemetry, enabling constant monitoring of the cyclone Phailin. It is the first report of in situ timeseries measurement of a very low pressure taken during cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean. The BD10 buoy recorded a minimum atmospheric pressure of 920 hPa, which happened to be within the eye of the cyclone. This article presents an account of important changes that were observed in the surface meteorological and oceanographic parameters under the influence of the very severe cyclonic storm Phailin. An attempt has been made to understand the role of stratification in intensifying the cyclone Phailin in comparison with the cyclone Lehar which weakened in the ocean itself, based on subsurface data from the moored buoys which were on the track of the respective cyclones. Both the cyclones traversed across the Bay of Bengal in a similar way and the buoys were very close to the cyclone track withstood the rough sea conditions during the storms with their specially designed body. The BD09 buoy which happened to be on the right side of the track of cyclone Phailin moved in a circular path as a result of the inertial oscillation forced by the strong cyclonic winds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moored data buoys deployed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) are floating platforms designed to carry a specific suit of sensors to measure wave parameters. Waves are measured by the Motion Reference Unit (MRU), which outputs roll, pitch, compass, and heave. These data are recorded at a rate of 1 Hz for 17 minutes every three hours. For this study, wave measurements were carried out at two locations (deep and shallow water) over the same period. The wave spectra were generated from the hard disk data (roll, pitch, heave, and compass) of the moored buoys. A Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) program was developed for generating the wave spectrum using the hard disk data. The spectrum exhibits significant features for deep- and shallow-water buoys. In a single peak spectrum the dominant peaks are observed at 0.08 and 0.1 Hz and the multi-peak spectrum energy is distributed over a wide range, from 0.05 to 0.25 Hz. The buoy spectra were compared to the Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) spectrum in deep- and shallow-water locations in the Bay of Bengal, and also the deep-water buoy spectrum was compared to the wave model (WAM) output spectrum in the Arabian Sea. The JONSWAP spectrum mostly conforms to the buoy spectrum in regard to marine wind conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bay of Bengal, the northeastern limb of the tropical Indian Ocean is a region strongly coupled with summer and winter monsoons and tropical cyclones. The Bay is also a region of strong vertical stratification near the surface due to large inputs of freshwater through rainfall and river run-off. In situ subsurface ocean measurements are quite sparse both in space and time in this region. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai deployed instrumented moored buoys in the Bay since 1997 to provide continuous time-series measurements of surface meteorological and oceanographic parameters at selected locations. In the recent years several studies have shown the important role of variability of heat storage in the near-surface layers on the intraseasonal and interannual evolution of monsoons and cyclones. Hence a strong need was felt to augment some of these buoys with subsurface temperature, salinity and current sensors to continuously record the temporal evolution of their vertical structures. Under a new initiative, NIOT has deployed six moored buoys attached with sensors to collect subsurface oceanographic parameters on real-time basis in the Bay. These are coded as the OMNI (Ocean Moored buoy Network for Northern Indian Ocean) buoy system. The time-series of vertical profiles of temperature and salinity in 500 m water column from the surface and currents in the topmost 100 m water column are monitored at discrete depths in the Bay. The OMNI buoy programme addresses a long-standing need to understand the observed variability of upper ocean thermohaline and current structures on several timescales that has important bearing on the evolution of seasonal monsoons and cyclones. This article presents an account on the evolution, status and usefulness of the OMNI buoy programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of assimilation of conventional and satellite data on the prediction of a severe cyclonic storm that formed in the Bay of Bengal during November 2008 with the four-dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) technique. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF ARW) model was used to study the structure, evolution, and intensification of the storm. Five sets of numerical simulations were performed using the WRF. In the first one, called Control run, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Final Analysis (FNL) was used for the initial and boundary conditions. In the remaining experiments available observations were used to obtain an improved analysis and FDDA grid nudging was performed for a pre-forecast period of 24 h. The second simulation (FDDAALL) was performed with all the data of the Quick Scatterometer (QSCAT), Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) winds, conventional surface, and upper air meteorological observations. QSCAT wind alone was used in the third simulation (FDDAQSCAT), the SSM/I wind alone in the fourth (FDDASSMI) and the conventional observations alone in the fifth (FDDAAWS). The FDDAALL with assimilation of all observations, produced sea level pressure pattern closely agreeing with the analysis. Examination of various parameters indicated that the Control run over predicted the intensity of the storm with large error in its track and landfall position. The assimilation experiment with QSCAT winds performed marginally better than the one with SSM/I winds due to better representation of surface wind vectors. The FDDAALL outperformed all the simulations for the intensity, movement, and rainfall associated with the storm. Results suggest that the combination of land-based surface, upper air observations along with satellite winds for assimilation produced better prediction than the assimilation with individual data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed measurements were carried out in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB) which covered both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal during March to May 2006. In this paper, we present the meteorological observations made during this campaign. The latitudinal variation of the surface layer turbulent fluxes is also described in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Andhra severe cyclonic storm (2003) is simulated to study its evolution, structure, intensity and movement using the Penn State/NCAR non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model MM5. The model is used with three interactive nested domains at 81, 27 and 9 km resolutions covering the Bay of Bengal and adjoining Indian Peninsula. The performance of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and convective parameterization on the simulated features of the cyclone is studied by conducting sensitivity experiments. Results indicate that while the boundary layer processes play a significant role in determining both the intensity and movement, the convective processes especially control the movement of the model storm. The Mellor-Yamada scheme is found to yield the most intensive cyclone. While the combination of Mellor-Yamada (MY) PBL and Kain-Fritsch 2 (KF2) convection schemes gives the most intensive storm, the MRF PBL with KF2 convection scheme produces the best simulation in terms of intensity and track. Results of the simulation with the combination of MRF scheme for PBL and KF2 for convection show the evolution and major features of a mature tropical storm. The model has very nearly simulated the intensity of the storm though slightly overpredicted. Simulated core vertical temperature structure, winds at different heights, vertical winds in and around the core, vorticity and divergence fields at the lower and upper levels—all support the characteristics of a mature storm. The model storm has moved towards the west of the observed track during the development phase although the location of the storm in the initial and final phases agreed with the observations. The simulated rainfall distribution associated with the storm agreed reasonably with observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unusual near-surface warming was seen in observations from a moored buoy BD11 at 14 °N/83°E, and a nearby Argo profiling float in the Bay of Bengal, during the passage of tropical cyclone Thane, during 25-31 December 2011. The cyclone induced a warming of sea surface temperature (SST) by 0.6 °C to the right of the track. Heat budget analysis based on moored observations and satellite data rules out the role of horizontal advection and net heat flux in warming the surface layer. We find that vertical mixing/entrainment in response to the cyclone, in conjunction with a pre-storm temperature inversion (subsurface ocean warmer than SST) led to the observed warming. Pre-storm and post-storm salinity and temperature profiles from an Argo float close to the mooring BD11 have higher vertical resolution than the moored data; they suggest vertical mixing of the upper 70 m of the water column. The moored observations show that the thermal inversion, erased by storm-induced mixing, reappears in a few days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]