The role of ocean circulation in the surface budget of heat and freshwater in the Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal is characterized by strong and complex exchanges of heat and freshwater between land, ocean and atmosphere. During the summer monsoon, the region receives a large fresh water input to the upper ocean via precipitation accompanied by an intense exchange of heat between the ocean and atmosphere. Additionally, there is an important mass input of fresh water from river runoff. In this work, we explore the role of ocean transport in maintaining the upper ocean budget of heat and fresh water. We determine the surface budget by combining the observations from the Joint Air-Sea Monsoon Interaction Experiment (JASMINE), which covers the summer period of 1999, with an ocean model hindcast using the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS). Results from this study have direct implications for improving climate forecasts in the Bay of Bengal.