Simulation of East India Coastal Features and Validation with Satellite Altimetry and Drifter Climatology

Abstract

The circulation features of western coast of the Bay of Bengal (BOB) have been analyzed using Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) with Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) wind and thermal forcing. The model simulation shows that the coastal current is not continuous throughout the year similar to the structure seen from the drifter climatology. The western boundary current (WBC) is formed in February and persists till May. This boundary current is very strong during March and April due to formation of anticyclonic eddies. From July to September, the coastal current is disorganized because of sequential development of anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies. But in October the coastal current starts to flow southward as the East India Coastal Current (EICC) and it prevails till December with the formation of cyclonic eddies along the coast. The simulated sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) is competent to detect the upwelling and downwelling zones in the coastal region as supported by TOPEX/POSEIDON climatology.