The Heat and Freshwater Budgets of the Red Sea

Tragou, Elina; Garrett, Chris; Outerbridge, Richard; Gilman, Craig

doi:10.1175/1520-0485(1999)029<2504:thafbo>2.0.co;2

Cited by 54 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…This has also been true for Red Sea evaporation estimates [Tragou et al, 1999;Sofianos et al, 2002;Smeed, 2004]. This paper is no exception, using the bulk-based standard estimates of da Silva et al [1994].…”

Section: Evaporation Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 60%

Climatological evaporation seasonality in the northern Red Sea

Eshel

Heavens

2007

Paleoceanography

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[1] The dynamic and thermodynamic processes that underlie the exceptionally high evaporation over the northern Red Sea are examined. Through a combination of data analysis and a simple numerical model we show that the key boundary layer dehumidifier is ageostrophic cross-channel sea breezes. This circulation develops semidiurnally in response to thermal gradients across the Red Sea's coasts because of disparate land-ocean heat capacities. During the summer day the thermally induced high-pressure center over the Red Sea axis results in near-surface flows from the Red Sea toward the neighboring deserts. The strong divergence associated with these flows is maximized along the Red Sea axis and is accompanied by strong subsidence that suppresses boundary layer relative humidity by both reducing specific humidity and increasing temperatures. Because the summer nighttime reversed thermal gradients are smaller in magnitude, the daytime circulation dominates over the nighttime in summer and thus dominates over the daily and seasonal means. Following similar reasoning, we also devise a winter dehumidifier. We conclude by advancing a simple means of estimating Red Sea evaporation under diverse paleoinsolation regimes, and we show small but clear evaporation changes during the course of the Holocene. Our estimates represent lower bounds, and we plan to refine them in follow-up work.

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Section: Evaporation Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 60%

Climatological evaporation seasonality in the northern Red Sea

Eshel

Heavens

2007

Paleoceanography

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“…The knowledge of the air-sea heat flux regime over the Red Sea is poor and limited to the estimation of the entire basin annual heat budget. Two studies carried out by Tragou et al (1999) and Sofianos et al (2002), using different methodological approaches, result in a basin net heat loss between 8 and 11 W m 22 . However, the spatiotemporal characteristics of the surface heat exchange and the atmospheric forcing that directly drives the heat flux remain practically unexplored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric Forcing of the Winter Air–Sea Heat Fluxes over the Northern Red Sea

et al. 2013

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The influence of the atmospheric circulation on the winter air-sea heat fluxes over the northern Red Sea is investigated during the period 1985-2011. The analysis based on daily heat flux values reveals that most of the net surface heat exchange variability depends on the behavior of the turbulent components of the surface flux (the sum of the latent and sensible heat). The large-scale composite sea level pressure (SLP) maps corresponding to turbulent flux minima and maxima show distinct atmospheric circulation patterns associated with each case. In general, extreme heat loss (with turbulent flux lower than 2400 W m 22) over the northern Red Sea is observed when anticyclonic conditions prevail over an area extending from the Mediterranean Sea to eastern Asia along with a recession of the equatorial African lows system. Subcenters of high pressure associated with this pattern generate the required steep SLP gradient that enhances the wind magnitude and transfers cold and dry air masses from higher latitudes. Conversely, turbulent flux maxima (heat loss minimization with values from 2100 to 250 W m 22) are associated with prevailing low pressures over the eastern Mediterranean and an extended equatorial African low that reaches the southern part of the Red Sea. In this case, a smooth SLP field over the northern Red Sea results in weak winds over the area that in turn reduce the surface heat loss. At the same time, southerlies blowing along the main axis of the Red Sea transfer warm and humid air northward, favoring heat flux maxima.

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“…represents the heat transport carried by the water volume that leaves the basin through its surface via the evaporation minus precipitation (should not be confused with the latent heat) (Tragou et al 1999;Sofianos et al 2002;Johns et al 2003). The term GH is radiation flux absorbed by the soil underlying shallowwater regions:…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of the Heat and Water Budgets of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf Using a Regional Climate Model*,+

Xue

Eltahir

2015

Journal of Climate

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Because of the scarcity of observational data, existing estimates of the heat and water budgets of the Persian Gulf are rather uncertain. This uncertainty leaves open the fundamental question of whether this water body is a net heat source or a net heat sink to the atmosphere. Previous regional modeling studies either used specified surface fluxes to simulate the hydrodynamics of the Gulf or prescribed SST in simulating the regional atmospheric climate; neither of these two approaches is suitable for addressing the above question or for projecting the future climate in this region. For the first time, a high-resolution, two-way, coupled Gulf-atmosphere regional model (GARM) is developed, forced by solar radiation and constrained by observed lateral boundary conditions, suited for the study of current and future climates of the Persian Gulf. Here, this study demonstrates the unique capability of this model in consistently predicting surface heat and water fluxes and lateral heat and water exchanges with the Arabian Sea, as well as the variability of water temperature and water mass. Although these variables are strongly coupled, only SST has been directly and sufficiently observed. The coupled model succeeds in simulating the water and heat budgets of the Persian Gulf without any artificial flux adjustment, as demonstrated in the close agreement of model simulation with satellite and in situ observations.The coupled regional climate model simulates a net surface heat flux of 13 W m 22 , suggesting a small net heat flux from the atmosphere into the Persian Gulf. The annual evaporation from the Persian Gulf is 1.84 m yr 21 , and the annual influx and outflux of water through the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea are equivalent to Persian Gulf-averaged precipitation and evaporation rates of 33.7 and 32.1 m yr 21 , with a net influx of water equivalent to a Persian Gulf-averaged precipitation rate of 1.6 m yr 21. The average depth of the Persian Gulf water is ;38 m. Hence, it suggests that the mean residency time scale for the entire Persian Gulf is ;14 months.

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The Heat and Freshwater Budgets of the Red Sea

Cited by 54 publications

References 31 publications

Climatological evaporation seasonality in the northern Red Sea

Climatological evaporation seasonality in the northern Red Sea

Atmospheric Forcing of the Winter Air–Sea Heat Fluxes over the Northern Red Sea

Estimation of the Heat and Water Budgets of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf Using a Regional Climate Model*,+

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