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Average depth. 2,600 m (8,500 ft) Max. depth. 4,694 m (15,400 ft) The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. The world's largest bay, geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region.
- Overview
- Physiography
- Climate
- Hydrology
- Bottom deposits
Bay of Bengal, large but relatively shallow embayment of the northeastern Indian Ocean, occupying an area of about 839,000 square miles (2,173,000 square km). It lies roughly between latitudes 5° and 22° N and longitudes 80° and 90° E. It is bordered by Sri Lanka and India to the west, Bangladesh to the north, and Myanmar (Burma) and the northern p...
The Bay of Bengal is bordered to the north by a wide continental shelf that narrows to the south and by slopes of varying gradient on the northwest, north, and northeast, all cut by canyons from the rivers. Most important are the Ganges-Brahmaputra, Andhra, Mahadevan, Krishna, and Godavari canyons. These were former estuaries when the shoreline was...
The climate of the Bay of Bengal is dominated by the monsoons. From November through April a continental high-pressure system north of the bay produces northeast winds (the northeast monsoon) characteristic of the winter season. During the northern summer (June–September) the rain-bearing southwest monsoon prevails, as intense heat produces a low-pressure system over the continent and a subsequent air flow from the ocean.
Cyclones—intense tropical storms of high winds and torrential rains—occur in spring (April–May) and fall (October–November); these are the weeks preceeding the onset of monsoon rains and the weeks following their retreat. A cyclone in November 1970 in the Ganges River delta resulted in the deaths of an enormous number of people and livestock. A storm of comparable magnitude in April 1991 devastated the eastern shore of Bangladesh, and another powerful cyclone devastated the coastal Indian state of Orissa in October 1999. Water spouts occur frequently in the bay during the summer months.
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Water and its Varying Forms
A unique feature of the bay is the extreme variability of its physical properties. Temperature in the offshore areas, however, is warm and markedly uniform at all seasons, decreasing somewhat toward the north. Surface densities are considerably greater in spring than in fall, when river discharge is highest. Surface salinity, normally measuring 33 to 34 parts per thousand, can fall to nearly half that level and can extend well south of the bay during the fall. Below the surface layer is an oxygen-poor intermediate layer that has high salinity and undergoes only weak circulation. Weak upwelling occurs in the northeast during the northeast monsoon. The sea presents alternately slick and ruffled surfaces over shallow internal waves all along the east-coast shelf. Surface movements of the waters change direction with the season, the northeast monsoon giving them a clockwise circulation, the southeast monsoon a counterclockwise circulation. Severe storms occur at the change of monsoon, particularly to the south in October.
In addition to water-level changes resulting from waves and tide, the average sea level varies throughout the year. Because rainfall and riverine input exceed evaporation, the bay exhibits a net water gain annually. The bay is also subject to occasional tsunamis; one such event, caused by an undersea earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra in December 2004, devastated extensive coastal areas of the bay, particularly in Sri Lanka and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
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Sediments in the Bay of Bengal are dominated by terrigenous deposits from the rivers, derived mainly from the Indian subcontinent and from the Himalayas. Calcareous clays and oozes are found near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and atop the Ninetyeast Ridge. The amount of organic matter present in the continental-shelf sediment of the northern part...
Feb 4, 2021 · It has a surface area of 2,600,000 km 2 and stretches over a maximum length of 2,090 km and a maximum width of 1,610 km. This bay has an average depth of 2,600 m and a maximum depth of 4,694 m. The Bay of Bengal is the world’s largest water body referred to as a bay.
- John Misachi
- Fact
- 2,600 m
- 4,694 m
Jul 15, 2022 · The Bay of Bengal is an enormous water body with a total surface area amounting to 2,600,000 square kilometres. It is 1000 miles or 1610 km wide at its broadest point and its maximum length is 2,088.9 kilometres. Possessing considerably deep waters, it has a depth of 15,400 ft or 4,694 m while its average water depth is around 2600 m or 8530 ft.
Sep 23, 2024 · The Bay of Bengal, located in the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, is the largest bay in the world. It is bordered by India and Sri Lanka to the west, Bangladesh to the north, and Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the east.
Key features. The key geographical features of the Bay of Bengal are: Maximum length: 2 090 km (1,300 mi) Maximum width: 1 610 km (1,000 mi) Area: 2 600 000 km² (1,000,000 sq mi) Average depth: 2 600 m (8,500 ft) Maximum depth: 4 694 m (15,400 ft) Why is the Bay of Bengal important?
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Bay of Bengal, Part of the Indian Ocean. Occupying about 839,000 sq mi (2,173,000 sq km), it is bordered by Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the northern Malay Peninsula. It is about 1,000 mi (1,600 km) wide, with an average depth exceeding 8,500 ft (2,600 m).
