Discharge currents in shallow offshore mouth area of the Volga based on space photography data

Abstract

The main results of studying discharge currents in the shallow offshore mouth area of the Volga River based on space photography materials collected during 1975–1997 are considered. The hydrographic zoning of the shallow offshore zone was elaborated taking into account the obtained data on the positions of discharge streams. The southern marine boundary of the region was established for the first time by the zone of convergence of river discharge streams and marine alongshore currents. A computer technique was developed for the compilation of discharge current maps in the shallow offshore zone of the Volga based on space photographs. An electronic atlas of discharge streams in the shallow offshore zone is created, and maps of discharge currents are compiled for different hydrological phases and stages of the Caspian Sea.