Reduced Near Surface Thermal Inversions in 2005 06 in the Southeastern Arabian Sea (Lakshadweep Sea)
Abstract Repeat XBT transects made at near fortnightly intervals in the Lakshadweep Sea (southeastern Arabian Sea) and ocean data assimilation products are examined to describe the year to year variability in the observed near surface thermal inversions during the winter seasons of 2002 06. Despite the existence of a large low salinity water intrusion into the Lakshadweep Sea, there was an unusually lower number of near surface thermal inversions during the winter 2005/06 compared to the other winters. The possible causative mechanisms are examined. During the summer monsoon of 2005 and the following winter season, unusually heavy rainfall occurred over the southwestern Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Sea compared to other years in the study. Furthermore, during the winter of 2005, both the East India Coastal Current and the Winter Monsoon Current were stronger compared to the other years, transporting larger quantities of low salinity waters from the Bay of Bengal into the Lakshadweep Sea where a relat.