A new study led by Tandon lab PhD student Siddhant (Sid) Kerhalkar sheds light on the recovery of ocean thermal structures after cyclone passage, a largely unexplored area due to limited direct observations. As part of an international research effort in the Arabian Sea, Sid and his co-authors (including Dr Tandon) analyzed data from the R/V Thompson’s 2023 field campaign to study the aftermath of Cyclone Biparjoy. Their findings reveal that the cyclone’s slow movement, combined with monsoon winds, triggered small-scale oceanic processes that created asymmetrical temperature, salinity, and velocity structures in its wake—marking first such measurements in the region.

These observations were part of the “Enhancing Knowledge of the Arabian Sea Marine Environment through Science and Advanced Training (EKAMSAT)” program, an international collaboration funded by India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences and the U.S. Office of Naval Research. The initiative aims to improve monsoon prediction models by gathering critical oceanographic and atmospheric data in the Arabian Sea, a region that has been anomalously warm in recent years but remains less studied than many of the world’s oceans.

“Our research shows that these submesoscale processes, play a critical role in accelerating the recovery of the ocean’s thermal structure after a cyclone”, said Sid. “This has major implications for ocean heat transport, nutrient distribution, and weather predictability, particularly for monsoon forecasts”.

The study highlights how oceanic processes influence air-sea heat exchange and climate dynamics, providing valuable insights for improving storm behavior and monsoon predictions, which are crucial for climate forecasting and disaster preparedness affecting nearly a third of the world’s population.

“Siddhant’s research provides new observational evidence that will help refine predictive models for extreme weather events”, said Dr. Tandon.

The paper, titled “Monsoon-Frontal Interactions Drive Cyclone Biparjoy’s Wake Recovery in the Arabian Sea” is published in Geophysical Research Letters and is available at [here].

Fig: Schematic explaining the forcing conditions and the asymmetric response of the cold wake

Congratulations Sid and Dr Tandon!