Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Editors' preface
- Keynote address to the 1977 Symposium SIR JAMES LIGHTHILL
- Part I The large-scale climatology of the tropical atmosphere
- Part II The summer monsoon over the Indian subcontinent and East Africa
- Part III The physics and dynamics of the Indian Ocean during the summer monsoon
- 29 Observations of the Somali Current and its relationship to the monsoon winds
- 30 Structure of currents and hydrographic conditions in the western equatorial Indian Ocean during the summer monsoon
- 31 Recent observations in the equatorial Indian Ocean
- 32 Sea temperature variations in the northeastern Arabian Sea in relation to the southwest monsoon
- 33 Heat budget of the north Indian oceanic surface during MONSOON-77
- 34 The energy budget at selected stations over the north Indian Ocean during MONSOON-77
- 35 Observations of coastal-water upwelling around India
- 36 A numerical study of surface cooling processes during summer in the Arabian Sea
- 37 Maximum simplification of nonlinear Somali Current dynamics
- 38 Laboratory modelling of the oceanic response to monsoonal winds
- Part IV Some important mathematical modelling techniques
- Part V Storm surges and flood forecasting
- Index
29 - Observations of the Somali Current and its relationship to the monsoon winds
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 November 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Editors' preface
- Keynote address to the 1977 Symposium SIR JAMES LIGHTHILL
- Part I The large-scale climatology of the tropical atmosphere
- Part II The summer monsoon over the Indian subcontinent and East Africa
- Part III The physics and dynamics of the Indian Ocean during the summer monsoon
- 29 Observations of the Somali Current and its relationship to the monsoon winds
- 30 Structure of currents and hydrographic conditions in the western equatorial Indian Ocean during the summer monsoon
- 31 Recent observations in the equatorial Indian Ocean
- 32 Sea temperature variations in the northeastern Arabian Sea in relation to the southwest monsoon
- 33 Heat budget of the north Indian oceanic surface during MONSOON-77
- 34 The energy budget at selected stations over the north Indian Ocean during MONSOON-77
- 35 Observations of coastal-water upwelling around India
- 36 A numerical study of surface cooling processes during summer in the Arabian Sea
- 37 Maximum simplification of nonlinear Somali Current dynamics
- 38 Laboratory modelling of the oceanic response to monsoonal winds
- Part IV Some important mathematical modelling techniques
- Part V Storm surges and flood forecasting
- Index
Summary
Observations of the Somali Current are presented and discussed, with particular emphasis on those aspects relating to the upwelling near the Somali coast and its generation by the monsoon winds.
Introduction
The Somali Current is the most dramatic feature of the seasonally reversing circulation in the northern part of the western Indian Ocean. At its peak, at the height of the southwest monsoon, surface currents of 3 to 4 ms-1 have been reported, and its total transport has been estimated at 70 million tonnes per second. The present state of knowledge of this current has been thoroughly reviewed in two recent papers, by Düing (1978) on observations and by Anderson (1978) on theoretical studies. From the point of view of monsoon dynamics, there are two particularly significant aspects. For monsoon meteorologists, the upwelling related to the Somali Current and its effect on sea-surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean may be most important. For dynamical oceanographers, the onset of the Somali Current has been a particular concern: how do the monsoon winds generate such a strong current so quickly? The purpose of this chapter is to briefly review observations that bear on these two aspects of the Somali Current. First, though, for the benefit of those to whom it may be unfamiliar, a short description of the fullydeveloped current will be given.
The fully-developed Somali Current
It is convenient to think of the Somali Current as the seasonally reversing part of the boundary current along the east coast of Africa; that is, the part extending northwards from approximately 3° S latitude.
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- Monsoon Dynamics , pp. 445 - 452Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1981
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