Effect of seasonal barrier layer on mixed-layer heat budget in the Bay of Bengal

Time series measurements (2010–2017) from the Research Moored Array for African–Asian–Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) moorings at 15°N,90°E and 12°N,90°E are used to investigate the effect of the seasonal barrier layer (BL) on the mixed-layer heat budget in the Bay of Bengal (BoB).The mixed-layer temperature tendency (?T/?t) is primarily controlled by the net surface heat flux that remains in the mixed layer(Q’) from March to October,while both Q’and the vertical heat flux at the base of the mixed layer (Q_(h)),estimated as the residual of the mixed-layer heat budget,dominate during winter (November–February).An inverse relation is observed between the BL thickness and the mixed-layer temperature (MLT).Based on the estimations at the moorings,it is suggested that when the BL thickness is≥25 m,it exerts a considerable influence on ?T/?t through the modulation of Q_(h) (warming) in the BoB.The cooling associated with Q_(h) is strongest when the BL thickness is≤10 m with the MLT exceeding 29°C,while the contribution from Q_(h) remains nearly zero when the BL thickness varies between 10 m and 25 m.Temperature inversion is evident in the BoB during winter when the BL thickness remains≥25 m with an average MLT<28.5°C.Furthermore,Q_(h) follows the seasonal cycle of the BL at these RAMA mooring locations,with r>0.72 at the 95%significance level.