Surface ocean conditions of the Arabian Sea using two different wind forcings in the regional ocean modelling system setup

The study investigates the impact of two different wind forcings on the surface ocean conditions of the Arabian Sea (AS) using the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) simulations. The wind forcings used in the ROMS simulations are the climatological Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) winds and the Quik Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite sea-winds. These two wind forcings are implemented and evaluated individually to assess their respective influences on the surface ocean conditions such as temperature, salinity, currents, heat fluxes, fresh water flux and diffusivity over the AS. The QuikSCAT winds are seen stronger (up to 2 m/s) over the AS and the wind stress curl is higher (up to 1.5 × 10^− 7 N/m²) in the equatorial region as compared to the COADS winds. Both the simulations have replicated the overall pattern of the surface ocean conditions very well. The stronger QuikSCAT winds simulation has shown higher surface salinity (~ 2 psu) and freshwater fluxes compared to the weaker COADS winds simulation. Again, the strong winds from QuikSCAT have also increased the surface current (up to 0.2 m/s) and horizontal diffusivity in the southern and western boundary of the AS. The implementation of wind forcing provides valuable insights into the dynamics of the regional ocean system and its response to atmospheric conditions. Therefore, the implementation of COADS and QuikSCAT winds in the ROMS simulations will enhance our ability to accurately simulate and predict the behaviour of the surface ocean conditions of the AS.