Program  
 
The Ocean and Atmosphere in the Maritime Continent and Their Impacts
 

 
 
1030
Dynamics of eddy generation in the central Bay of Bengal
Wednesday 9th @ 1030-1050, Conference Room 4
Xuhua Cheng* , College of Oceanography, Hohai University
Julian P. McCreary, International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa,
Bo Qiu, Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Presenter Email: xuhuacheng@hhu.edu.cn
Eddy activity in the central Bay of Bengal (BoB) is revealed using satellite observations and hydrographic data. Altimetric data show that eddies are generated near the eastern boundary, propagate southwestward, and have periods predominantly in the 30-120-day band. Temperature profiles from the RAMA buoy at 90E, 15N, have their highest amplitude in the depth range of the thermocline, indicating that the eddies are associated with a vertical motion of the thermocline. To investigate the cause of the eddies, we obtained a suite of solutions to nonlinear and linear versions of an 1.5-layer (reduced-gravity) model. They demonstrate that equatorial wind forcing, Myanmar bump and Andaman Island, and nonlinearity are all essential for eddy formation. Among the nonlinear terms, the advection terms are the primary cause.
 
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