Character and dynamics of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf outflows

Historical hydrographic data and a numerical plume model are used to investigate the initial transformation, dynamics, and spreading pathways of Red Sea and Persian Gulf outflow waters where they enter the Indian Ocean. The annual mean transport of these outflows is relatively small (<0.4 Sv), but they have a major impact on the hydrographic properties of the Indian Ocean at the thermocline level because of their high salinity. They are different from other outflows in that they flow over very shallow sills (depth < 200 m) into a highly stratified upper ocean environment and they are located at relatively low latitudes (12°N and 26°N). Furthermore, the Red Sea outflow exhibits strong seasonal variability in transport. The four main results of this study are as follows. First, on the basis of observed temperature‐salinity (T‐S) characteristics of the outflow source and product waters we estimate that the Red Sea and Persian Gulf outflows are diluted by factors of ∼2.5 and 4, respectively, as they descend from sill depth to their depth of neutral buoyancy. The high‐dilution factor for the Persian Gulf outflow results from the combined effects of large initial density difference between the outflow source water and oceanic water and low outflow transport. Second, the combination of low latitude and low outflow transport (and associated low outflow thickness) results in Ekman numbers for both outflows that are O(1). This indicates that they should be thought of as frictional density currents modified by rotation rather than geostrophic density currents modified by friction. Third, different mixing histories along the two channels that direct Red Sea outflow water into the open ocean result in product waters with significantly different densities, which probably contributes to the multilayered structure of the Red Sea product waters. In both outflows, seasonal variations in source water and oceanic properties have some effect on the T‐S of the product waters, but they have only a minor impact on equilibrium depth. Fourth, product waters from both outflows are advected away from the sill region in narrow boundary currents, at least during part of the year. At other times, the product water appears more in isolated patches.