Analysis of Water Mass Spreading in the Indian Ocean

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Gordon 9729322 The observational data set (hydrographic survey, shipboard current profiles, satellite altimetry, surface drifters, and subsurface floats) from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment s (WOCE) Indian Ocean Expedition will be used to explore the Indian Ocean thermohaline stratification, circulation and heat/freshwater fluxes. The specific objectives are (1) to track the meridional spreading of low salinity tropical water within the western Indian Ocean, including the contribution of Indonesian throughflow water and to ascertain its role in interocean circulation; (2) to study the exchange of Bay of Bengal water masses with those of the equatorial belt and Arabian Sea and to investigate the origin and significance of the unique benthic boundary layer observed within the Bay of Bengal; and (3) to calculate the horizontal sub-basin scale fluxes of heat and freshwater across hydrographic sections. Results of these studies will be compared with model output in order to evaluate the circulation model and to extend the observations to larger temporal and spatial scales.