FOREWORD 



The Northwest Indian Ocean, being subjected to the seasonally shifting 

 monsoon winds, is unlike any other ocean area in the world. The strong, yet 

 shallow, current system that is called the Somali Current or East African 

 Current is associated with summer southwesterly monsoon winds that parallel 

 the Somali Coast and curve eastward in the vicinity of Cape Guardafui . The 

 Somali Current is rapid (=350 cm sec"^ in some places) yet shallow (<500 m). 

 Volume transports associated with the Somali Current south of Socotra Island 

 have been found to be between 60 and 70 sverdrups, roughly comparable to 

 those found in the Gulf Stream. Unlike the Gulf Stream, the Somali Current 

 has been known to disappear and even reverse during the winter months of the 

 northeast monsoon. 



The strategic importance of this region places a s 

 naval environmentalist to gain an adequate understandin 

 and meteorology of the Somali Basin/Arabian Sea area. 

 Basin is quite deep (>5000 m in parts of the abyssal pi 

 is bottom-limited for convergence zone propagation. Sh 

 caused by interleaving of Red Sea and Persian Gulf Wate 

 implications in thp pmolovment of acoustic weapon s and 

 with sustained w 

 Cape Guardafui a 

 monsoon. 



pecial burden on the 

 g of the oceanography 

 Although the Somali 

 ain), most of the area 

 allow sound channels 

 rs may have tactical 

 sensors. High seas 

 ^d in the region of 

 the southwest 



I 



This Techn 

 idea of general 

 1979 southwest 

 characterized b 



eader a general 

 observed during the 

 ak and late and was 



^ 



y VV H i 



f DOCUMENT 



COLLECTION 



