Abstract
Measurements from March to July 1979 by current meters moored between the shelf and the deep sea from 5° to 8°N show that there was shallow ( < 150-meter) coastward and northward circulation between 6° and 8°N long before the onset of the southwest monsoon. After the onset, a powerful coastward flow developed offshore around 6°N, branching into northward and southward flows at the continental rise while the current deepened to more than 250 meters. There seemed to be a separate circulation on the shelf with some counterflow to offshore. All current records show that there were strong fluctuations with periods of 3 to 6 days.
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