Why is Bay of Bengal warmer than Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon?

Abstract

The near-surface Bay of Bengal remains significantly warmer than the Arabian Sea during summer monsoon (June-September). Analysis of the heat budgets of the near-surface Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal shows significant differences between them during the summer monsoon. In the Arabian Sea, the winds associated with the summer monsoon are stronger and favour the transfer of heat to deeper layers owing to overturning and turbulent mixing. In contrast, the weaker winds over the bay force a relatively sluggish oceanic circulation that is unable to overturn, forcing a heat-budget balance between the surface fluxes and diffusion and the rate of change of heat in the near-surface layer.