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  • Author or Editor: Harindra J. S. Fernando x
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Harindra J. S. Fernando

Abstract

This paper contains a summary of the results from some laboratory and theoretical studies on the diffusive interface in double diffusive convection, paying particular attention to the recent work of Fernando. A simple model is developed which predicts the thickness of the convecting layers in a thermohaline staircase structure. The laboratory buoyancy-flux measurements and the model results are extrapolated for oceanic situations and comparisons are made with field measurements.

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Luc Rainville
,
Craig M. Lee
,
K. Arulananthan
,
S. U. P. Jinadasa
,
Harindra J. S. Fernando
,
W. N. C. Priyadarshani
, and
Hemantha Wijesekera

Abstract

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 Statement

The 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.

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