varies by about 6°C throughout the year. The annual range decreases 

 from north to south; and at Madras, along the east coast of India, 

 the range of monthly average temperature is about 3°C. Minimum tem- 

 peratures occur from December to February, and maximum temperatures 

 are present in September and October in the surface water. Near 

 Calcutta, the average surface temperature decreases to about 23°C, 

 vhich is the lowest for the Bay of Bengal in the winter season, and 

 increases to 29 °C in the summer. The temperature range is not 

 nearly as great here as in the Arabian Sea. 



Salinity in the surface layer likevrise increases from north to 

 south in the Bay of Bengal, and the annual range of salinity decreases 

 from north to south. These are attributed to the cycles of annual 

 runoff of the major rivers which empty into the head of the bay. 

 Minimum value for salinity occurs near Calcutta where it drops to a 

 monthly average of less than 20 ^ in September and October. Salinity 

 In the offshore waters of the My of Bengal does not usually exceed 



In the region between Java and Australia, the greatest annual 

 variation in surface temperature is found along the northwest coast 

 of Australia. Here the temperature is 29°C during the northwest 

 monsoon and decreases to 24°C in July and August at the time of the 

 strongest upwelling. ■"■ Near the coast of Java, the monthly average 

 varies over the year from 2T°C in August to 29*0 in February. 



During August vhen the South Equatorial Current extends all the 

 vay to the Java coast, water of high salinity, over 3^ %o, is found 

 to the south of Java. From December to February, the Java Coastal 



^Wyrtkl, NAGA Report , II, p. 33- 



30 



