Water Mass Exchanges between the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea from Multiyear Sampling with Autonomous Gliders

We present high-resolution sustained, persistent observations of the ocean around Sri Lanka from autonomous gliders collected over several years, a region with complex, variable circulation patterns connecting the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea to each other and the rest of the Indian Ocean. The Seaglider surveys resolve seasonal to interannual variability in vertical and horizontal structure, allowing quantification of volume, heat, and freshwater fluxes, as well as the transformations and transports of key water mass classes across sections normal to the east (2014-15) and south (2016-19) coasts of Sri Lanka. The resulting transports point to the importance of both surface and subsurface flows and show that the direct pathway along the Sri Lankan coast plays a significant role in the exchanges of waters between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Significant section-to-section variability highlights the need for sustained, long-term observations to quantify the circulation pathways and dynamics associated with exchange between the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea and provides context for interpreting observations collected as snapshots of more limited duration. Significance StatementThe strong seasonal variations of the wind in the Indian Ocean create large and rapid changes in the ocean's properties near Sri Lanka. This variable and poorly observed circulation is very important for how temperature and salinity are distributed across the northern Indian Ocean, both at the surface and at depths. Long-term and repeated surveys from autonomous Seagliders allow us to understand how freshwater inflow, atmospheric forcing, and underlying ocean variability act to produce observed contrasts (spatial and seasonal) in upper-ocean structure of the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.

Automated summary

This study presents sustained observations of the ocean around Sri Lanka using autonomous gliders. The observations reveal the complex and variable circulation patterns connecting the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean. The results highlight the importance of both surface and subsurface flows in the water exchanges between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, emphasizing the need for long-term observations to understand the circulation pathways and dynamics in this region.