The overall goal is to study and quantify oceanic processes that regulate the intensity and propagation of the Monsoon Intra Seasonal Oscillation (MISO) in the Bay of Bengal/Northern Indian Ocean. The specific objectives of the proposed study are: (a) to evaluate the processes (such as surface and entrainment fluxes, and lateral heat advection) that control upper-ocean heat content and sea-surface temperature (SST) from diurnal to intra-seasonal timescales, (b) to determine how north-south upper-ocean temperature and salinity gradients alter the intensity of MISO, and (c) to understand and quantify the roles of equatorial remote forcing and local wind forcing on SST and the intensity and propagation of MISO.