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Abstract

The Bengal Boundary Layer Experiment (BoBBLE) is a joint project between Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India and Natural Environment Research Council, UK. The BoBBLE field programme was conducted during the summer monsoon of 2016 with the prime objective of producing new, high-quality, comprehensive observational data sets of ocean state and atmospheric fluxes through a dedicated field campaign in a key under-observed region, the southern Bay of Bengal. New results that emerged from the BoBBLE observational programme is summarised in this presentation. The BoBBLE cruise was conducted on board ORV Sindhu Sadhana (CSIR-NIO, Goa) during 23rd June – 24th July 2016. In the ocean, 148 CTD profiles, 930 underway-CTD (uCTD) profiles, 64 turbulence profiles, 37 radiometer profiles, 161 Argo profiles, and 915 glider profiles were measured. In addition, continuous monitoring was carried out using an autosal and ADCP. Biological and chemical properties were measured using water samples. Atmospheric measurements were made using an automated weather station, an eddy covariance system and radiosonde profiling was carried out twice during every day. The in situ data set unravelled several physical and biogeochemical processes occurring in the southern Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon. The key results include formation and erosion of barrier layers, discovery of double diffusion and salt fingering, closing of the mixed layer heat budget using ground-breaking observational approach, dynamical control of chlorophyll profiles, CO2 emission, and oxygenation of the OMZ.