RSI Student Doruk Cagli Admitted to Harvard
We are pleased to announce that Doruk Cagli, a high school senior who joined MSEAS during summer 2025 as an RSI scholar, was recently admitted to Harvard for the Fall 2026 semester. Congrats Doruk!
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Ocean Dynamics in 2025: Overview and Thank You to Reviewers
Ezer, T., A. Bonaduce, D. Bruciaferri, S. Carniel, A. Chabchoub, W.B. Corlett, R. de Camargo, S.N. Estrada-Allis, O.B. Fringer, A. Gangopadhyay, G. Gao, T. Kodaira, P.F.J. Lermusiaux, Z. Liu, Y. Miyazawa, A. Pinones, J-M. Savol, E. Stanev, C. Sun, C. Volker, J. Wang, and F. Xu, 2026. Editorial – Ocean Dynamics in 2025: Overview and Thank You to Reviewers. Ocean Dynamics 76, 13. doi:10.1007/s10236-026-01774-y
RSI Student Jayveer Kochhar Admitted to Stanford
We are pleased to announce that Jayveer Kochhar, a high school senior who joined MSEAS during summer 2025 as an RSI scholar, was recently admitted to Stanford for the Fall 2026 semester. Congrats Jayveer!
MSEAS Alum Jen Landry to Command FNMOC
Congratulations to MSEAS Alumna CAPT Jen Landry, who has been slated to command the US Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center!
Influence of Haline Stratification and Thermal Inversion on the Sonic Layer Depth in the Bay of Bengal from Argo Float Observations (2011-2020)
Jana, S., A. Gangopadhyay, P.F.J. Lermusiaux, A. Chakraborty, and S. Prasanna Kumar, 2026. Influence of Haline Stratification and Thermal Inversion on the Sonic Layer Depth in the Bay of Bengal from Argo Float Observations (2011–2020). Journal of Geophysics Research: Oceans, sub-judice.
Sonic layer depth (SLD) plays a critical role in upper-ocean acoustics and is strongly modulated by stratification processes. Using a decade-long dataset of Argo float observations (2011–2020), this study examines structural characteristics and spatiotemporal variability of the SLD across the Bay of Bengal and quantifies the relative contributions of thermal and haline stratification. SLD exhibits pronounced variability, exceeding 65 m during winter (January–February) in the northern and central basin in association with subsurface temperature inversions within the barrier layer. During the pre-monsoon (April–May), intensified surface heating enhances thermal stratification, leading to a shallow SLD (<10 m). A distinct seasonally reversing spatial gradient is identified, with north-westward deepening in spring and a reversal in summer. Freshwater-driven barrier layer formation in the northern basin results in a decoupling of SLD from mixed layer depth (MLD), while maintaining correspondence with isothermal layer depth (ILD), except under strong thermal-inversion conditions. In the southern basin, weaker haline stratification leads to greater coherence among SLD, MLD, and ILD. Case-specific analyses further reveal that salinity-driven stratification associated with surface freshening can substantially modulate SLD, in some instances overriding thermal controls. These results underscore the coupled influence of temperature and salinity in governing SLD variability and its implications for acoustic propagation.
