NEW GEOSTROPHIC STUDIES ON CURRENTS IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE RED SEA.

NEW GEOSTROPHIC STUDIES ON CURRENTS IN THE CENTRAL
PART OF THE RED SEA.
BY
HASSAN M. HASSAN*, S. MOHAMED EL-NADIE AND S. GHARIB
EL-ETREBY
… National Institute of Oceanography & Fisheries, Alexandria, Egypt.
Key Words: Oceanography, Geostrophic currents, Red Sea.
ABSTRACT
<)'ome geostrophic studies were done across a transverse section between latitude 2]0 and 22 N in the Red Sea during May 1981,where the relative current velocities were computed. This work is a comparison of that done before along nearly the same section in May 1978. In the first upper 50 meters layer, the calculated Clm'ents show a northwardflow along the Eastern Arabian Coastqfthe Sea with an average velocity ofabout 0.2 7n1.5,-1 giving a northward volume transport ofabout 1.27x1 06m3. 05-1 .along the Arabian Coast. In the same layer another soutlnvard.flow ofaverage velocity 0.39 m.s-I was observed along 3 the ~frican Coast giving rise to soutlllvard volume transport of 1.98 x 106m • S-I. Below this layer and down to -100 meters depth another southwardflow of velocity qf 0.098 nu·-I was observed along the Eastern Arabian side ofthe Sea, gil'ing a southward volume transport of3.22x1Oli m3 ...,-I. Another northward flow of average velocity of 0.101 m.s-I was observed along the western side, its volume tramport was about 3.58x106 m 3. 05-1 . Our results were supported by Thompson (1939a, b), Gerges & Soliman (1987) and Maillard & Soliman (1986) . These results are also more compatible with the general accepted circulation in the Red Sea during this period. The present work ShOll'S a d?fferent picture from that reached by Sultan and Ahmad (1990) in the form (~f complete d?fference in the .flow direction along the Arabian and ~/i'ical1 Coasts.