Current and thermohaline characteristics of the Arabian Sea during January 1998

Abstract

Based on a ship survey during January 1998, the characteristics of the flow, the thermohaline properties and the volume transport of the Arabian Sea are discussed. A strong westward flow exists between 10.5°N and 11°N, part of which turns to the south as the Somali current near the coast at about 10°N and the rest turns north. At the passage between the African continent and the Socotra Island, the northern branch separates into two flows: the left one enters the passage and the right one flows eastward along the southern slope of the island. Off the island the flow separates once more, most of it meandering northeast and a small fraction flowing southeast. Volume transport calculation suggests that the tidal transport is one or two orders of magnitude smaller than the total transport in this region and it becomes more important near the coast. The average velocity of the flow in the upper layer (0–150 m) is about 20 cm s⁻¹, with a maximum of 53 cm s⁻¹ appearing east of the Socotra Island, and the subsurface layer (200–800 m) has an average velocity of 8.6 cm s⁻¹; the velocity becomes smaller at greater depths. The depth of the seasonal thermocline is about 100 m, above which there is a layer with well mixed temperature and dissolved oxygen. High-salinity and oxygen-rich water appears near the surface of the northern Arabian Sea; a salinity maximum and oxygen minimum at 100 m depth along 8°N testifies the subduction of surface water from the northern Arabian Sea. Waters from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf also influence the salinity of the area.