Salinity variation in the southeastern Arabian Sea: A revisit

1650-1658<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">Salinity variability in the southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) is discussed utilizing the monthly hydrographic data collected within a 2ox2o grid (8.5oN to 10.5oN) between August 2007 and May 2008. In the climatology, the absolute salinity values were low and fine scale features were absent when compared with the ground truth measurements. Arabian Sea Watermass was present as a subsurface maximum throughout the year between 50 and 100 m depths. Bay of Bengal Watermass occupied the top 10 m in the offshore and 50 m near the coast in January. B<span style="font-size:9.0pt; font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">etween October and January, this water diluted the surface layers of the coastal regions by ~1.5 psu and the offshore regions <span style="font-size: 9.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">by ~2 psu. A<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US"> noticeable observation during August and September was the presence of a low salinity plume (<34.5 psu) that extended upto a depth of 10m and sandwiched between saline waters on both side. The curling of currents around a cyclonic gyre that formed in the SEAS during the southwest monsoon brings fresh water from the equator and near coastal regions into the offshore, thereby created the low salinity plume. Replacement of southward currents west of 75oE in September by the eddy circulation diluted the surface layers in those regions.