Air–Sea Heat Flux Biases in Reanalysis Products for the Arabian Sea

Significant statement By comparing six reanalysis products with observations from three long-term ocean moorings in the Eastern Arabian Sea, this study quantifies errors in air–sea heat fluxes and their governing oceanic and meteorological control parameters during the Spring Intermonsoon and Southwest Monsoon seasons. We find that enhanced heat loss through latent heat flux, driven by higher wind speeds and a drier atmosphere, contributes to a negative net heat flux bias during the Intermonsoon season. During the monsoon, intraseasonal variations in cloud characteristics are not well represented by the reanalysis products, while a persistent cold SST bias is evident throughout both seasons.