Arabian Marginal Seas and Gulfs

Co-PIs: Amy Bower and Jim Price (WHOI)

We have analyzed hydrographic data collected by the U. S. Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) in the outflow region of two important marginal seas; the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Our goal was to describe the synoptic scale structure of the outflow hydrography, with particular emphasis on (1) mixing of the outflow currents with the oceanic environment; (2) the occurrence of eddy formation (i.e. Reddies) and (3) the effect of the outflows on the adjacent seas. The primary data resource for this analysis was the synoptic AXBT surveys acquired by NAVOCEANO in the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman. We also used the one-dimensional outflow plume model of Price and Baringer (1994) to investigate the dynamics of these two outflows.