Hydrology of the Indian Ocean. III. Water masses of the upper 500 metres of the South-east Indian Ocean

Abstract

The following seven water masses have been identified, and their distribution traced during several seasons of the year: Red Sea mass, with the same distribution and properties in 1962 as the north-west Indian Intermediate described in 1959-60; Persian Gulf mass, which is confined to the region south of Indonesia and is limited in extent of easterly flow by the opposing flow of Banda Intermediate water; upper salinity minimum mass, entering via Lombok Strait and moving zonally in the direction of the prevailing surface currents, a secondary movement of this water mass towards north-west Australia is limited by the northern boundary of a south-east Indian high salinity water mass. This latter water mass occurs as three separate core layers north of 22-23º S. The deep core layer mixes with waters of the oxygen maximum below it, the mid-depth core layer mixes with Persian Gulf and upper salinity minimum water masses, and the upper core layer mixes with the Arabian Sea water mass. The latter water mass spreads eastwards to about 120º E. and southwards to north-west Australia, in conformity with surface currents. A sixth water mass enters with the counter-current and is found as a salinity maximum within the thermocline to about 20º S. A seventh water mass characterized by a salinity maximum around temperatures of 28-29ºC has a limited distribution and an unknown origin. Both of these water masses move in the direction of surface currents.