The Northern Embayments of the Indian Ocean and the Indonesian Throughflow (BOB-AS-ITF) Part 2

Approved for Public Release'The Northern Embayments of the Indian Ocean and the Indonesian Throughflow (BOB-AS-ITF) Part2'Arnold L.,GordonLamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964Office: 1-845-365-8325; mobile: 1-845-,536-1731agordon@ldeo.columbia.eduSummary: The 3 broad themes, from larger to smaller scales: [A] Spreading of the ITF in the India,n Ocean: The contribution of the ITF to the T/S characteristics of the South Equatorial Current (SEC) and Leeuwin Current (LC). The,projection of the SEC signal into the northward flowing component entering the AS, and southward component into the East Madagascar,Current and Mozambique Channel.; projection of the ITF inflow to the Leeuwin Current, the southern subtropical gyre of the Indian Oc,ean, and decades later, to AMOC[B] Coupling of the two northern embayments (AS and BoB) of the Indian Ocean: around the southern rim, of India/Sri Lanka; the seasonal (monsoon), interannual variability, as well as possible role of the intraseasonal MJO events; role, of the ?gateway? Sri Lanka Dome (SLD) of drawing AS water into the BoB; the role of the trans-Indian Ocean ITF plume linking the no,rthern embayments via an ocean spanning clockwise ?tropical? gyre. [C] Role of eddies in governing the mixed layer characteristics,,air-sea interaction, and overall freshwater export from the BoB, including the Intrathermocline Eddies (ITE). The research will deli,neate aspects of the eddy field and associated upper ocean stratification within the Bay of Bengal and the coupling to the large sca,le Indian Ocean that will have a positive impact on DoD capabilities.