Westerlies Affecting the Seasonal Variation of Water Vapor Transport over the Tibetan Plateau Induced by Tropical Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal

This study investigates the activity of tropical cyclones(TCs)in the Bay of Bengal(BOB)from 1979 to 2018 to discover the mechanism affecting the contribution rate to the meridional moisture budget anomaly(MMBA)over the southern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau(SBTP).May and October–December are the bimodal phases of BOB TC frequency,which decreases month by month from October to December and is relatively low in May.However,the contribution rate to the MMBA is the highest in May.The seasonal variation in the meridional position of the westerlies is the key factor affecting the contribution rate.The relatively southern(northern)position of the westerlies in November and December(May)results in a lower(higher)contribution rate to the MMBA.This mechanism is confirmed by the momentum equation.When water vapor enters the westerlies near the trough line,the resultant meridional acceleration is directed north.It follows that the farther north the trough is,and the farther north the water vapor can be transported.When water vapor enters the westerlies from the area near the ridge line,for Type-T(Type-R)TCs,water vapor enters the westerlies downstream of the trough(ridge).Consequently,the direction of the resultant meridional acceleration is directed south and the resultant zonal acceleration is directed east(west),which is not conducive to the northward transport of water vapor.This is especially the case if the trough or ridge is relatively south,as the water vapor may not cross the SBTP.

Seasonal influence of freshwater discharge on spatio-temporal variations in primary productivity, sea surface temperature, and euphotic zone depth in the northern Bay of Bengal

Ocean productivity is the foundation of marine food web,which continuously removes atmospheric carbon dioxide and supports life at sea and on land.Spatio-temporal variability of net primary productivity(NPP),sea surface temperature(SST),sea surface salinity(SSS),mixed layer depth(MLD),and euphotic zone depth(EZD) in the northern B ay of Bengal(BoB) during three monsoon seasons were examined in this study based on remote sensing data for the period 2005 to 2020.To compare the NPP distribution between the coastal zones and open BoB,the study area was divided into five zones(Z1-Z5).Results suggest that most productive zones Z2 and Zl are located at the head bay area and are directly influenced by freshwater discharge together with riverine sediment and nutrient loads.Across Z1-Z5,the NPP ranges from 5 315.38 mg/(m^(2)·d) to 346.7 mg/(m^(2)·d)(carbon,since then the same).The highest monthly average NPP of 5 315.38 mg/(m^(2)·d) in February and 5 039.36 mg/(m^(2)·d) in June were observed from Z2,while the lowest monthly average of 346.72 mg/(m^(2)·d) was observed in March from Z4,which is an oceanic zone.EZD values vary from 6-154 m for the study area,and it has an inverse correlation with NPP concentration.EZD is deeper during the summer season and shallower during the wintertime,with a corresponding increase in productivity.Throughout the year,monthly SST shows slight fluctuation for the entire study area,and statistical analysis shows a significant correlation among NPP,and EZD,overall positive between NPP and MLD,whereas no significant correlation among SSS,and SST for the northern BoB.Long-term trends in SST and productivity were significantly po sitive in head bay zones but negatively productive in the open ocean.The findings in this study on the distribution of NPP,SST,SSS,MLD,and EZD and their seasonal variability in five different zones of BoB can be used to further improve the management of marine resources and overall environmental condition in response to climate changes in BoB as they are of utmost relevance to the fisheries for the three bordering countries.

Stock appraisal for Atlantic tripletail(Lobotes surinamensis;Bloch,1790)in the Bay of Bengal,Bangladesh

The Atlantic tripletail(Lobotes surinamensis)is a high revenue-generating fish species predominantly caught by mechanized artisanal fishers community and the most available member of its family in Bangladesh.This is a ground work of fish stock assessment study in the Bay of Bengal region to explore the life history parameters and associated biomass of this species,using three length-based approaches of TropFishR,the length-based Bayesian biomass estimation(LBB),and Froese’s length based indicators(LBIs).An almost homogenous body growth pattern(b=3.07;R^(2)=0.98)was observed in the length-weight relationship of tripletail.The life history parameters for tripletail,as determined by the von Bertalanffy Growth Function(VBGF)model,were L_(∞)=113.36 cm and k=0.51/a.The length converted catch curve(LCCC)yielded an estimation of the total mortality(Z=1.77/a),with the natural mortality estimated at(M=0.53/a)and the fishing mortality estimated at(F=1.24/a).But,the ratio of mortality(F/M=0.15)by LBB captured the non-fully exploited status of biomass(B/B_(MSY)=2.1).LBI analysis indicated that the tripletail fishery’s spawning stock biomass is greater than the target and limit reference points,indicating a healthy state of biomass.

Spatial and temporal distribution of storms and their activities over the Bay of Bengal

By statistically analyzing the storm data from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center(JTWC) over the Bengal Bay during the period 1945-2006,it is found that the yearly averaged tropical cyclone(TC) number over the Bay of Bengal is 8.12,which takes place in any month of the whole year;February and March have the fewest TC numbers.The TC numbers begin to increase starting in April and arrive at a peak in October.Differing from TC over the Bay of Bengal,the tropical storms(TS) over the Bay of Bengal has two peak periods,appear in May and in October or November,respectively.With regard to TS intensity,the super severe storm of H4 criterion appeared only one time during the period 1971-1986,but appeared eight times during the period 1987-2006.The monthly change of the original position,the averaged maintaining time,and the longest maintaining time of TS also have two peak values:They appear in April or May and in October or November,respectively.The peak value of the original position in October or November is bigger than that in April or May.The peak value of the average maintaining time and the longest main-taining time of the TS in April or May is bigger than that in October or November.TC landfall path is mostly moving toward northwest or west and accounts for 56.7 percent.The landfall path of the TS differs from that of TC in some respects.The main difference is that the numbers of the northwestern path and un-landfall of TS are less than those for TC,and the numbers of the western path and northeastern path of TS are greater than for TC.Because of the landfall TS in the north-east path has a peak,it and the beginning of the rainy season in Yunnan Province are closely related;it is on Yunnan Province's early summer precipita-tion that they have a great impact.

Risk assessment of coastal flooding disaster by storm surge based on Elevation-Area method and hydrodynamic models:Taking Bohai Bay as an example

The future inundation by storm surge on coastal areas are currently ill-defined.With increasing global sealevel due to climate change,the coastal flooding by storm surge is more and more frequently,especially in coastal lowland with land subsidence.Therefore,the risk assessment of such inundation for these areas is of great significance for the sustainable socio-economic development.In this paper,the authors use Elevation-Area method and Regional Ocean Model System(ROMS)model to assess the risk of the inundation of Bohai Bay by storm surge.The simulation results of Elevation-Area method show that either a 50-year or 100-year storm surge can inundate coastal areas exceeding 8000 km^(2);the numerical simulation results based on hydrodynamics,considering ground friction and duration of the storm surge high water,show that a 50-year or 100-year storm surge can only inundate an area of over 2000 km^(2),which is far less than 8000 km^(2);while,when taking into account the land subsidence and sea level rise,the very inundation range will rapidly increase by 2050 and 2100.The storm surge will greatly impact the coastal area within about 10-30 km of the Bohai Bay,in where almost all major coastal projects are located.The prompt response to flood disaster due to storm surge is urgently needed,for which five suggestions have been proposed based on the geological background of Bohai Bay.This study may offer insight into the development of the response and adaptive plans for flooding disasters caused by storm surge.

OBJECTIVE CLASSIFICATION OF THE TRACKS OF TROPICAL STORMS IN THE BAY OF BENGAL

An objective analysis of tropical cyclone tracks is performed, with which the tracks of 131 tropical storms(TSs) in 1972-2011 are separated into three types that move west-, north- and northwestward, denoted as Types A, B and C, respectively. Type A(21 TSs and 16% of total) has the origin in the southwestern Bay of Bengal, with the TS in a unimodal distribution as its seasonal feature, occurring mainly in autumn; 18 of the 21 TSs(taking up 90%) land mostly on the western Bay coast(west of 85°E); 5% of Type-A TSs attains the wind speed of >42.7 to 48.9 m/s. Type A has little or no effect on Tibet. Type B(74 TSs, 56.6% of the total) has its preferable origin in the central Bay of Bengal, with the TS in a bimodal distribution as its seasonal pattern. This type denotes the travel in the north in spring,with the landfall of 67 of the 74 TSs(accounting for 91%) mainly on the middle coast of the Bay(85° to 95°E), and19% of the TSs reaching the wind velocity of >42.7 to 48.9 m/s, which exert great effect on Tibet and it is this TS track that gives strong precipitation on its way through this region. Type C(36 TSs, 27.5% of the total) has its main origin in the southern part of the bay, and these TSs are formed largely in autumn, moving in the northwest direction,and 23 of the 36 TSs(64%) land mostly on the western Bay coast, lasting for a longer time, with almost no impact upon Tibet.

Statistical and Comparative Analysis of Tropical Cyclone Activity over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal(1977-2018)

A statistical comparative analysis of tropical cyclone activity over the Arabian Sea (AS) and Bay of Bengal(BoB) has been conducted using best-track data and wind radii information from 1977 to 2018 issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Results show that the annual variation in the frequency and duration of tropical cyclones has significantly increased over time over the AS and insignificantly decreased over the BoB. The monthly frequency of tropical cyclones over the AS and the BoB shows a notable bimodal character, with peaks occurring in May and OctoberNovember, respectively. The maximum frequency of tropical cyclones occurs in the second peak as a result of the higher moisture content at mid-levels in the autumn. However, the largest proportion of strong cyclones (H1-H5 grades) occurs in the first peak as a result of the higher sea surface temperatures in early summer. Tropical cyclones over the AS break out later during the first peak and activity ends earlier during the second peak, in contrast with those over the BoB. This is related to the onset and drawback times of the southwest monsoon in the two basins. Tropical cyclones over the AS are mainly generated in the eastern basin, whereas in the BoB the genesis locations are meridionally (zonally) distributed in May-June (October-November) as a result of the seasonal movement of the low-level positive vorticity belt. The Arabian Sea is dominated by tropical cyclones that track west and northwest, accounting for about 74.6%of all the tropical cyclones there, whereas the tropical cyclones with a NE track account for only 25.4%. The proportions of the three types of tracks are similar in the BoB, with each accounting for about 33%of the tropical cyclones. The mean intensity and size of tropical cyclones over the AS are stronger and larger, respectively, than those over the BoB and the size of tropical cyclones over the North Indian Ocean in early summer is larger than that in the autumn. The asymmetrical structure of tropical cyclones over the North Indian Ocean is affected by topography and the longest radius of the 34 kt surface wind often lies in the eastern quadrant of the tropical cyclone circulation in both sea areas.

Intensity of the Trough over the Bay of Bengal and Its Impact on the Southern China Precipitation in Winter

In this study, the intensity of the trough over the Bay of Bengal (BBT) and its association with the southern China precipitation, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and the Rossby wave propagation along the African-Asian subtropical Jet stream (AASJ) are investigated on the intraseasonal time scale. The results show that the intensity of the BBT affects the southern China precipitation more directly and to a greater degree than the MJO. The peak amplitude of the BBT tended to occur in phase-3 of the MJO. The strong BBT was substantially modulated by the Rossby wave propagation along the AASJ, which was triggered by the anomalous upstream circulation similar to the pattern of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Therefore, from the perspective of medium- and extended-range weather forecasts, the NAO- like pattern may be regarded as a precursory signal for the strong BBT and thus the southern China precipitation.

An Analysis of the Characteristics of Monsoon Onset over the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea in 2010

Based on NCEP/NCAR daily reanalysis and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission data, the back- ground atmospheric circulation and the characteristics of meteorological elements during the period of the Bay of Bengal monsoon （BOBM） and the South China Sea （SCS） monsoon （SCSM） in 2010 are studied. The impacts of the BOBM onset on the SCSM onset and the relationship between the two monsoons are also analyzed. The two main results are as follows： （l） The BOBM onset obvi- ously occurs earlier than the SCSM onset in 2010, which is a typical onset process of the Asian monsoon. During the BOBM＇s onset, northward jump, and eastward expansion, convective precipitation and southwest winds occurred over the SCS, which resulted in the onset of the SCSM. （2） The relationship among strong convection, heavy rainfall, and vertical circulation configuration is obtained during the monsoon onsets over the BOB and SCS, and it is concluded that the South Asian High plays an important role in this period.

Cloud Condensation Nuclei over the Bay of Bengal during the Indian Summer Monsoon

The first measurements of cloud condensation nuclei （CCN） at five supersaturations were carried out onboard the research vessel ＂Sagar Kanya＂ （cruise SK-296） from the south to the head-bay of the Bay of Bengal as part of the Continental Tropical Convergence Zone （CTCZ） Project during the Indian summer monsoon of 2012. In this paper, we assess the diurnal variation in CCN distributions at supersaturations from 0.2% to 1% （in steps of 0.2%） and the power-law fit at supersaturation of 1%. The diurnal pattern shows peaks in CCN concentration （NccN） at supersaturations from 0.2% to 1% between 0600 and 0700 LST （local standard time, UTC＋0530）, with relatively low concentrations between 1200 and 1400 LST, followed by a peak at around 1800 LST. The power-law fit for the CCN distribution at different supersaturation levels relates the empirical exponent （k） of supersaturation （%） and the Nccy at a supersaturation of 1%. The Nccy at a supersaturation of 0.4% is observed to vary from 702 cm-3 to 1289 cm-3, with a mean of 961 ＋ 161 cm-3 （95% confidence interval）, representing the CCN activity of marine air masses. Whereas, the mean Nccy of 1628 ＋ 193 cm-3 at a supersaturation of 1% is higher than anticipated for the marine background. When the number of CCN spectra is 1293, the value of k is 0.57 ± 0.03 （99% confidence interval） and its probability distribution shows cumulative counts significant at k ≈ 0.55 ± 0.25. The results are found to be better at representing the features of the marine environment （103 cm-3 and k ≈ 0.5） and useful for validating CCN closure studies for Indian sea regions.

Influence of Summer Monsoon on Asymmetric Bimodal Pattern of Tropical Cyclogenesis Frequency over the Bay of Bengal

The influence of summer monsoon on tropical cyclone (TC) genesis over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) is explored using an empirical genesis potential (GP) index. The annual cycle of cyclogenesis frequency over the BoB shows an asymmetric bimodal pattern with the maximum genesis number appearing in late October and the second largest in early May. The two peaks correspond to the withdrawal and onset of the BoB summer monsoon, respectively. The semimonthly GP index calculated without TC days over the BoB is consistent with TC genesis frequency, indicating that the index captures the monsoon-induced changes in the environment that are responsible for the seasonal variation of TC genesis frequency. Of the four environmental variables (i.e., low-level vorticity, mid-level relative humidity, potential intensity, and vertical wind shear) that enter into the GP index, the potential intensity makes the largest contribution to the bimodal distribution, followed by vertical wind shear due to small wind speed during the summer monsoon onset and withdrawal. The difference in TC genesis frequency between autumn and late spring is mainly owing to the relative humid-ity difference because a divergence (convergence) of horizontal moisture flux associated with cold dry northerlies (warm wet wester-lies) dominates the BoB in late spring (autumn).

The atmospheric hinder for intraseasonal sea-air interaction over the Bay of Bengal during Indian summer monsoon in CMIP6

The surroundings of the Bay of Bengal(Bo B)suffer a lot from the extreme rainfall events during Indian summer monsoon(ISM).Previous studies have proved that the sea-air interaction is an important factor for the monsoonal precipitation.Using the 6th Coupled Modol Inter-comparison Project(CMIP6)models,this study examined the biases of surface heat flux,which is the main connection between atmosphere and ocean.Results show that although CMIP6 have a better simulation of intraseasonal sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies over Bo B than the previous ones,the“atmospheric blockage”still delays the response of latent heat flux to the oceanic forcing.Specifically,during the increment of positive latent heat flux in CMIP6,the negative contribution from wind effects covers most of the positive contribution from humidity effects,due to the underestimate of humidity effects.Further diagnostic analysis denote that the surface air humidity has a quarter of a phase ahead of warm SST in observation,but gets wet along with the warm SST accordingly in most CMIP6 models.As a result,the simulated transfer of intraseasonal moisture flux is hindered between ocean and atmosphere.Therefore,as a bridge between both sides,the atmospheric boundary layer is essential for a better sea-air coupled simulation,especially when the atmospheric and the oceanic variabilities involved in a climate model becomes increasingly sophisticated.The surface air humidity and boundary layer processes require more attention as well as better simulations.

The Onset of the Monsoon over the Bay of Bengal:The Year-to-Year Variations

In situ buoy observation data spanning four years(2008-2011) were used to demonstrate the year-to-year variations of the monsoon onset processes in the Bay of Bengal(BoB).A significant early(late) monsoon onset event in 2009(2010) was analyzed in detail.It is found that the year-to-year variations of monsoon onset can be attributed to either the interannual variability in the BoB SST or the irregular activities of the intra-seasonal oscillation(ISO).This finding raises concern over the potential difficulties in simulating or predicting the monsoon onset in the BoB region.This uncertainty largely comes from the unsatisfactory model behavior at the intra-seasonal time scale.

MESOSCALE ANALYSIS OF YUNNAN SUCCESSIVE HEAVY PRECIPITATION AROUSED BY THE STORM OVER THE BAY IN EARLY SUMMER

By using regular meteorological data, physical quantity fields, satellite pictures and Doppler radar echo data, we analyze the mesoscale features and the conditions of 4 successive heavy precipitation processes in Yunnan aroused by the storm over the Bay in the early summer. The results show that the life of the storm over the Bay is usual 2 or 3 days and the cloud top temperature of the storm is always below -65℃. The storm over the Bay affects Yunnan by mesoscale convective cloud clusters, cloud system in peripheral or weaken itse,fmoving to the northeast. The Tibetan Plateau shear lines and vortexes, NE-SW convergence channels and southwest wind convergence supply favorable circulation background and dynamical conditions. There are many common features about Doppler radar echoes, the flocculent echoes with intensity about 35-45 dBZ move to the east to produce successive precipitation in Yunnan, and the mesoscale features of southwest jet and wind veering with altitude not only are favorable to transport warm and moist airflow brought to the north by the storm over the Bay. but also are favorable to convective development.

Geochemistry of volcanic glass from Mahanadi offshore region,eastern continental margin of India:Constraints on the contribution of latest Toba super-eruption

The tephra layers in multiple sediment cores from the offshore region of the Mahanadi basin in the northern Bay of Bengal were investigated for possible volcanic sources. The glass shards from those tephra layers were studied for size distribution, texture, and elemental geochemistry to establish chronostratigraphic markers for regional and global Quaternary correlation. The textural features of fine-grained(silty) volcanic glasses suggest the distal source of these tephra deposits. Major element composition with elevated SiO_(2) contents ranging between75%–76% and dominance of K_(2)O(> 4.5%) over CaO(< 0.9%) suggest ashes have originated from siliceous rhyolitic melts, similar to the petrographic composition of tephra from the Toba volcano. The bulk trace element compositions of the same glass shards were comparable with those reported in the youngest Toba tephra reported elsewhere. Likewise, the LREE-dominated chondrite normalized REE profiles of tephra from the Mahanadi basin closely resemble the characteristic REE patterns in Toba ash from other parts of the Indian Ocean and thus confirmed the contribution of the youngest Toba super-eruption for this ash layers.

Sedimentary record of a late Holocene storm event in Laizhou Bay,Bohai Sea,China

The Bohai Sea is influenced by numerous extreme oceanic wave events in history.However,it is often difficult to determine the types of these events due to the lack of detailed historical records,causing uncertainty in the reconstruction of historical coastal disasters.We investigated an anomalous sand layer in the Xiliyu Village by the coast of Laizhou Bay,Shandong,from which an extreme event deposit was identified using a multi-proxy approach including grain size distribution,geochemistry,and magnetic susceptibility.This event was dated 2700–3100 a bp,and caused inundation of a large coastal area of Laizhou Bay.By comparing historical records with instrumental data,we believe that the event deposit was generated by a severe storm surge with wind speed of>34.9 m/s.

A statistical analysis of mesoscale eddies in the Bay of Bengal from 22–year altimetry data

Eddy properties in the Bay of Bengal are studied from 22 a archiving, validation and interpretation of satellite oceanographic（AVISO） data using a sea level anomaly（SLA）-based eddy identification. A geographical distribution and an eddy polarity, an eddy lifetime and propagation distances, eddy origins and terminations,eddy propagation directions and trajectories, eddy kinetic properties, the evolution of eddy properties,seasonal and interannual variabilities of eddy activities are analyzed in this area. Eddies exist principally in the western Bay of Bengal and most of them propagate westward. The polarity distribution of eddies shows cyclones prefer to occur in the northwest and south of the Bay of Bengal, while anticyclones mainly occur in the east of the bay. Five hundred and sixty-five cyclones and 389 anticyclones with the lifetime that exceeds 30 d are detected during the 22 a period, and there is a preference for the cyclones for all lifetime and propagation distances. The kinetic properties of all observed eddies show the average amplitude of the cyclones is larger than that of the anticyclones, whereas that is opposite for average radius, and their average velocities are basically the same. Moreover, the evolution of eddies properties reveals that the eddies with a long lifetime that exceeds 90 d have a significant double-stage feature of the former 50 d growth period and the dying period after 50 d. For the seasonal variability of the eddies, the cyclones occur more often in spring while the anticyclones occur more often in summer. The analysis of long-lived eddy seasonal distributions shows that there is the obvious seasonal variation of the eddy activities in the Bay of Bengal. The interannual variability of an eddy number shows an obvious negative correlation with the EKE variation.

A numerical study on the impact of tidal waves on the storm surge in the north of Liaodong Bay

A storm surge is an abnormal sharp rise or fall in the seawater level produced by the strong wind and low pressure field of an approaching storm system.A storm tide is a water level rise or fall caused by the combined effect of the storm surge and an astronomical tide.The storm surge depends on many factors,such as the tracks of typhoon movement,the intensity of typhoon,the topography of sea area,the amplitude of tidal wave,the period during which the storm surge couples with the tidal wave.When coupling with different parts of a tidal wave,the storm surges caused by a typhoon vary widely.The variation of the storm surges is studied.An once-in-a-century storm surge was caused by Typhoon 7203 at Huludao Port in the north of the Liaodong Bay from July 26th to 27th,1972.The maximum storm surge is about 1.90 m.The wind field and pressure field used in numerical simulations in the research were derived from the historical data of the Typhoon 7203 from July 23rd to 28th,1972.DHI Mike21 is used as the software tools.The whole Bohai Sea is defined as the computational domain.The numerical simulation models are forced with sea levels at water boundaries,that is the tide along the Bohai Straits from July 18th to 29th（2012）.The tide wave and the storm tides caused by the wind field and pressure field mentioned above are calculated in the numerical simulations.The coupling processes of storm surges and tidal waves are simulated in the following way.The first simulation start date and time are 00：00 July 18th,2012; the second simulation start date and time are 03：00 July 18th,2012.There is a three-hour lag between the start date and time of the simulation and that of the former one,the last simulation start date and time are 00：00 July 25th,2012.All the simulations have a same duration of 5 days,which is same as the time length of typhoon data.With the first day and the second day simulation output,which is affected by the initial field,being ignored,only the 3rd to 5th day simulation results are used to study the rules of the storm surges in the north of the Liaodong Bay.In total,57 cases are calculated and analyzed,including the coupling effects between the storm surge and a tidal wave during different tidal durations and on different tidal levels.Based on the results of the 57 numerical examples,the following conclusions are obtained：For the same location,the maximum storm surges are determined by the primary vibration（the storm tide keeps rising quickly） duration and tidal duration.If the primary vibration duration is a part of the flood tidal duration,the maximum storm surge is lower（1.01,1.05 and 1.37 m at the Huludao Port,the Daling Estuary and the Liaohe Estuary respectively）.If the primary vibration duration is a part of the ebb tidal duration,the maximum storm surge is higher（1.92,2.05 and 2.80 m at the Huludao Port,the Daling Estuary and the Liaohe Estuary respectively）.In the mean time,the sea level restrains the growth of storm surges.The hour of the highest storm tide has a margin of error of plus or minus 80 min,comparing the high water hour of the astronomical tide,in the north of the Liaodong Bay.

Decadal Changes in Interannual Dependence of the Bay of Bengal Summer Monsoon Onset on ENSO Modulated by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation

Interannual variations of the Bay of Bengal summer monsoon (BOBSM) onset in association with El Ni-o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are reexamined using NCEP1, JRA-55 and ERA20C atmospheric and Hadley sea surface temperature (SST) reanalysis datasets over the period 1900-2017. Decadal changes exist in the dependence of the BOBSM onset on ENSO, varying with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). A higher correlation between the BOBSM onset and ENSO arises during the warm PDO epochs, with distinct late (early) onsets following El Ni-o (La Ni-a) events. In contrast, less significant correlations occur during the cold PDO epochs. The mechanism for the PDO modulating the ENSO-BOBSM onset relationship is through the variations in SST anomaly (SSTA) patterns. During the warm PDO epochs, the superimpositions of the PDO-related and ENSO-related SSTAs lead to the SSTA distribution of an El Ni-o (La Ni-a) event exhibiting significant positive (negative) SSTAs over the tropical central-eastern Pacific and Indian Ocean along with negative (positive) SSTAs, especially over the tropical western Pacific (TWP), forming a strong zonal interoceanic SSTA gradient between the TWP and tropical Indian Ocean. Significant anomalous lower tropospheric easterlies (westerlies) together with upper-tropospheric westerlies (easterlies) are thus induced over the BOB, favoring an abnormally late (early) BOBSM onset. During the cold PDO epochs, however, the superimpositions of PDO-related SSTAs with El Ni-o-related (La Ni-a-related) SSTAs lead to insignificant SSTAs over the TWP and a weak zonal SSTA gradient, without distinct circulation anomalies over the BOB favoring early or late BOBSM onsets.

A Comparison of the Zooplankton Community in the Bay of Bengal and South China Sea During April-May, 2010

This study compares the structure of the zooplankton community in the Bay of Bengal(BoB) and South China Sea(SCS) during the period of spring inter-monsoon, 2010. A total of 215 species of zooplankton were identified, of which 187 species were present in the BoB and 119 in the SCS. Of the taxonomic groups recorded, Copepoda was the most diverse group in all samples followed by pelagic Tunicata, Siphonophorae and Chaetognatha. Flaccisagitta enflata, Cosmocalanus darwinii, Euchaeta larva, Macrura larva and Candacia truncata were predominant both in the BoB and SCS. Moreover, the distribution of some dominant species differed regionally, such as Cypridina dentata, Pleuromamma robusta and Mesosagitta decipiens only in the BoB, and Pleuromamma gracilis, Neocalanus gracilis and Eudoxoides spiralis in the SCS. The average zooplankton abundance was 33.37 ± 7.19 ind. m^(-3) in the BoB and 35.08 ± 2.07 ind. m-3 in the SCS. Copepoda was one of the most abundant groups in the Bo B and SCS. Based on multivariate analysis, it was possible to distinguish the zooplankton in the BoB and SCS communities at the similarity level of approximately 55%, and the dissimilarity was mainly due to C. dentata, P. robusta, M. decipiens, C. darwinii, N. gracilis and P. gracilis. The relationships between zooplankton and temperature, salinity and chlorophyll a were not statistically significant. Zooplankton community structure in the BoB and SCS was observed to be generally similar in terms of species composition and abundance, but the differences observed may be the result of species-specific geographical distribution and local hydrographic conditions.