Aerosol study during INDOEX: observation of enhanced aerosol activity over the Mid Arabian Sea during the northern winter

The spatial distribution of the aerosol optical depth during the northern winter, along the West coast of India and over the oceanic environments of the Arabian Sea and the South-West Indian Ocean (between 60 degrees E-78 degrees E and 15 degrees N-20 degrees S), has been investigated using co-ordinated ground-based and ship-borne measurements carried out during January-March of 1998 and 1999 under the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX). In this paper apart from the expected results, an interesting observation is presented of enhanced aerosol activity in the mid Arabian Sea, far removed from the continent. Its implications are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.