Mixing and flushing in the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)

Abstract

[1] The assimilative capacities of estuaries and coastal seas for effluent discharges are predominantly determined by the rates at which pollutant-bearing effluents are first dispersed and then flushed from the coastal region into the open ocean. The dispersion coefficients and flushing, as measured by the water residence time in the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf), were investigated using the three-dimensional numerical model Estuary, Lake and Coastal Ocean Model (ELCOM). The model was first validated using the R/V Mt. Mitchell expedition profile data, collected from 27 January to 26 February 1992 and from 13 May to 12 June 1992. The validated model was then used to compute the geographic variability of the horizontal dispersion coefficients K x throughout the gulf. Model results revealed that dispersion was principally driven by the shear associated with the tides, but along the Arabian coast, wind was an additional significant energy source for dispersion. The water residence time was found to be more than 3 years along the Arabian coast, but shorter along the Iranian coast.

What processes control the net currents through shallow straits? A review with application to the Bohai Strait, China

“…Pous et al, 2004;Alosairi et al, 2011 Deep sills between ocean basins Stratification, density difference on either side, DMSL s 0.…”

“…The waters are highly stratified and the effect of the complex bathymetry and the stratification interacting with tidal currents and wind bursting is to generate transient flows comprising eddies, trapping and occasional spills over the sills (e.g. Pous et al, 2004), so that the net currents are very small and the residence time of water commonly exceeds one year (Alosairi et al, 2011).…”

“…Hainbucher et al (2004) did not include horizontal eddy diffusion in their ocean mixing model and Liu et al (2012) chose a value of the horizontal eddy diffusion coefficient to be 15 m 2 s À1 . However typical value could be higher, probably of the order of 25 m 2 s À1 (Hrycik et al, 2013) and possibly up to 100 m 2 s À1 especially during storms (Alosairi et al, 2011;Uncles and Torres, 2013).…”

Morphometric differentiation among populations of Leptodius exaratus (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) (Brachyura, Xanthidae) from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman

“…This high salinity is the result of high evaporation and low fresh water input (Sheppard et al, 2010). The PG is connected to the Gulf of Oman via the Strait of Hormuz, which at its narrowest point is only 56 km wide (Alosairi et al, 2010). The PG has a special water cycling system: surface water of the Indian Ocean with lower-salinities enters the PG through the northern part of the Strait of Hormuz and is deflected along the Iranian coast, forming a basinwide cyclonic circulation in the southern PG.…”

Solute dispersion in the coastal boundary layer of southern Lake Michigan

“…A detailed review of methods used to calculate turbulence in the nearshore is provided by [ Burchard et al ., ]. [ Spydell et al ., ; Brown et al ., ], and [ Alosairi et al ., ] have examined the effect of shear due to wave‐generated alongshore and rip currents, on dispersion in the nearshore. Breaking waves in the surf zone play an important role in wave‐dominated environments as quantified by [ Pearson et al ., ]; however, relatively few studies attempted to quantify the effects of waves on nearshore solute transport, particularly in the context of the Great Lakes.…”