Seasonal variability of salinity budget and water exchange in the northern Indian Ocean from HYCOM assimilation

Based on HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) assimilation and observations, we analyzed seasonal variability of the salinity budget in the southeastern Arabian Sea (AS) and the southern part of the Bay of Bengal (BOB), as well as water exchange between the two basins. Results show that fresh water flux cannot explain salinity changes in salinity budget of both regions. Oceanic advection decreases salinity in the southeastern AS during the winter monsoon season and increases salinity in the southern BOB during the summer monsoon season. In winter, the Northeast Monsoon Current (NMC) carries fresher water from the BOB westward into the southern AS; this westward advection is confined to 4°-6°N and the upper 180 m south of the Indian peninsula. Part of the less saline water then turns northward, decreasing salinity in the southeastern AS. In summer, the Southwest Monsoon Current (SMC) advects high-salinity water from the AS eastward into the BOB, increasing salinity along its path. This eastward advection of high-salinity water south of the India Peninsula extends southward to 2°N, and the layer becomes shallower than in winter. In addition to the monsoon current, the salinity difference between the two basins is important for salinity advection.

Numerical study of the seasonal salinity budget of the upper ocean in the Bay of Bengal in 2014

Impact factors on the salinity budget, especially the eddy salt fluxes and smaller-scale diffusive salt fluxes for the upper 50 m of the Bay of Bengal(BoB) in 2014 are investigated using a box model based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System(ROMS) daily outputs. The model results reproduce that the precipitation and river runoff s are the dominant factors modulating the sharp salinity decrease during the summer monsoon season. The analysis shows that the salinity increase after the summer monsoon is mostly due to the meridional advective and diffusive salt fluxes. The vertical advective salt flux, which is sensitive to the different signals of the wind stress curl, plays an important role in balancing the salinity change induced by the meridional advective salt flux during both the summer and winter monsoon seasons. Distinctive spatial mesoscale structures are presented in the eddy salt flux throughout the year, and their contributions are sizeable(over 30% in the meridional direction and about 10%–30% in the vertical direction). The meridional eddy salt flux is larger in the monsoon seasons than that in the inter-monsoon seasons, and in a positive pattern near the western boundary during the winter monsoon and autumn inter-monsoon. The vertical eddy salt flux makes an important contribution to the salinity budget, especially along the coastal area and around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The vertical eddy salt flux becomes large when a tropical cyclone passes the area.

Observational bifurcation of Wyrtki Jets and its influence on the salinity balance in the eastern Indian Ocean

The eastward-propagation phenomenon from GPS-tracking drifters is characterized by strong Wyrtki Jets（WJs）,with a maximum velocity of over 1.3 m s^（-1）.Based on data gathered during a 2014 spring sea cruise in the Indian Ocean,the trajectories show the WJs bifurcate at the equator near the eastern boundary and flow northward and southward in two narrow strong currents.Surface currents reverse and flow westward in the east of the bifurcation longitude.In addition,Aquarius satellite data show the high-salinity water flows eastward from the western Indian Ocean,associated with WJs.Salinity budget analyses in the mixed layer using salinity data from Argo and currents data from OSCAR indicate that the WJs do indeed transport the high-salinity water eastward at the equator,and WJs bifurcation transports high-salinity water away from the equator and suppresses the Bay of Bengal and Java coast from freshening.Therefore,the WJs and WJs bifurcation play an important role in maintaining the salinity balance in the eastern Indian Ocean.

Impacts of the upper-ocean salinity variations on the decadal sea level change in the Southeast Indian Ocean during the Argo era

In the past nearly two decades,the Argo Program has created an unprecedented global observing array with continuous in situ salinity observations,providing opportunities to extend our knowledge on the variability and effects of ocean salinity.In this study,we utilize the Argo data during 2004–2017,together with the satellite observations and a newly released version of ECCO ocean reanalysis,to explore the decadal salinity variability in the Southeast Indian Ocean(SEIO)and its impacts on the regional sea level changes.Both the observations and ECCO reanalysis show that during the Argo era,sea level in the SEIO and the tropical western Pacific experienced a rapid rise in 2005–2013 and a subsequent decline in 2013–2017.Such a decadal phase reversal in sea level could be explained,to a large extent,by the steric sea level variability in the upper 300 m.Argo data further show that,in the SEIO,both the temperature and salinity changes have significant positive contributions to the decadal sea level variations.This is different from much of the Indo-Pacific region,where the halosteric component often has minor or negative contributions to the regional sea level pattern on decadal timescale.The salinity budget analyses based on the ECCO reanalysis indicate that the decadal salinity change in the upper 300 m of SEIO is mainly caused by the horizontal ocean advection.More detailed decomposition reveals that in the SEIO,there exists a strong meridional salinity front between the tropical low-salinity and subtropical high salinity waters.The meridional component of decadal circulation changes will induce strong cross-front salinity exchange and thus the significant regional salinity variations.

Decadal variation and trend of the upper layer salinity in the South China Sea from 1960 to 2010

Ocean salinity is an essential measurable indicator of water cycle and plays a crucial role in regulating ocean and climate change.Using Simple Ocean Data Assimilation(SODA)reanalysis product,substantial decadal variability of the salinity in the upper layer of the South China Sea(SCS)from 1960 to 2010 was examined.Results show that a decadal variation of the upper layer salinity is clear.The upper layer(100 m)waters are found to freshen from 1960,become saltier during 1975 to 1995,and freshen again from 1995 to 2010.The strongest anomalies appear in the northeastern,northern,and northwestern regions in the three periods,respectively.The salinity variation trends become weaker below the upper layer,except the salinifi cation trend in the northern SCS extends to at least 300 m during the salinifi cation period.Diagnosis of the salinity budget over the top 100 m shows that during the fi rst freshening period horizontal advection,vertical advection,and surface freshwater forcing all contribute to salinity freshening,and horizontal advection is relatively larger.The contribution of horizontal advection and surface freshwater forcing to the positive salinity anomaly is comparable,while the vertical advection is the secondary factor in the salinifi cation period.Horizontal advection,especially zonal advection,plays a crucial role during the second freshening period.Moreover,horizontal advection is more important than that in the fi rst freshening period.In addition,the contribution of horizontal advection is mainly in zonal direction controlled by Kuroshio intrusion.Further analysis shows the upper-layer salinity variations have a Pacifi c Decadal Oscillation(PDO)-like signal,with freshening during the negative PDO years,and salinifi cation during the positive PDO years.PDO mainly infl uences the upper-layer salinity changes through both atmospheric bridge and oceanic bridge.

Freshening of the Intermediate Waters in the Northern South China Sea over the Past Six Decades

The properties of salinity in the South China Sea(SCS),a significant marginal sea connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans,are greatly influenced by the transport of fresh water flux between the two oceans.However,the long-term changes in the intermediate water in the SCS have not been thoroughly studied due to limited data,particularly in relation to its thermodynamic variations.This study utilized reanalysis data products to identify a 60-year trend of freshening in the intermediate waters of the northern South China Sea(NSCS),accompanied by an expansion of low-salinity water.The study also constructed salinity budget terms,including advection and entrainment processes,and conducted an analysis of the salinity budget to understand the impacts of external and internal dynamic processes on the freshening trend of the intermediate water in the NSCS.The analysis revealed that the freshening in the northwest Pacific Ocean and the intensification of intrusion through the Luzon Strait at intermediate levels are the primary drivers of the salinity changes in the NSCS.Additionally,a weakened trend in the intensity of vertical entrainment also contributes to the freshening in the NSCS.This study offers new insights into the understanding of regional deep sea changes in response to variations in both thermodynamics and oceanic dynamic processes.