Write a note on the monsoon of the Arabian sea?
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Answer:
The Arabian Sea has a monsoon climate. Minimum air temperatures of about 75 to 77 °F (24 to 25 °C) at the sea’s surface occur in the central Arabian Sea in January and February, while temperatures higher than 82 °F (28 °C) occur in both June and November. During the rainy season, which occurs when the southwest monsoon winds blow (April to November), salinities of less than 35 parts per thousand have been recorded in the upper 150 feet (45 metres) of the sea, while during the dry season (November to March), when the northeast monsoon winds blow, salinities of more than 36 parts per thousand have been recorded at the surface over the entire Arabian Sea north of latitude 5° N, except off the Somali coast. Because evaporation exceeds the combined precipitation and riverine input, the sea exhibits a net water loss annually.
The complex Somali Current, which attains speeds of about 7 knots (8 miles [13 km] per hour) off the coast of Socotra, becomes part of a clockwise circulation system that in summer continues to the northeast along the coast of Arabia and thence south along the coast of India to 10° N. At that point it merges with the Southwestern Monsoon Current, flowing east between 5° and 10° N. Pronounced upwelling of deeper waters occurs along the Somali and Arabian coasts in summer. The Somali Current weakens and reverses direction during the northeast (winter) monsoon. Of the five water masses that have been distinguished in the upper 3,000 feet (900 metres) of the northern Indian Ocean, three have been identified as originating in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea, respectively. The paths of flow of these water masses are to the south and east.