BAY-OF-BENGAL CURRENTS DURING THE NORTHEAST MONSOON

Velocity and property observations were made during February and March 1995 as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) Hydrogr aphic Program (WHP) expedition in the Indian Ocean. The observed circu lation in the upper 300 m of the ocean during the northeast monsoon is compared to the output of a high-resolution, S-layer, nonlinear model forced by European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF ) winds. The data identify several new features in the Bay of Bengal: a shelf-break coastal current in the northeast corner, an eddy and sub surface jet near the South Preparis Channel, and an eastward countercu rrent extending from 80 degrees E to the eastern boundary. The counter current transports high-salinity surface water from the northwest Indi an Ocean into the bay, and separates the historically observed North E quatorial Current into two currents with separate sources and water pr operties. The data also detail the spatial structure of the South Equa torial Current and Countercurrent, and show the Equatorial Undercurren t in the eastern half of the Indian Ocean. The model compares well eno ugh with the data to suggest that such realistic models may provide a useful temporal context for the WHP snapshot.