TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in the circulation and current spectrum near the tip of the narrow, seasonally mixed Gulf of Elat
AU - Genin, Amatzia
AU - Paldor, Nathan
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - Four years of current measurements near the northern end of the Gulf of Elat (Aqaba) revealed consistent seasonal trends. The net current along the coast was southward most of the year, with a short period (November-January) of northward flow and an abrupt reversal in early February. This pattern did not correspond with changes in the wind, which was southward over 90% of the time. A semidiurnal peak dominated the current power spectrum during summer (May-October), but was absent in February-May in spite of a year-round prevalence of a semidiurnal peak in the barotropic tide. During winter, when the water column was vertically mixed, a clear onshore (west-ward) current was observed near the surface and a return (offshore) current over the bottom. This cross-shore pattern was consistent with a wind-driven Ekman circulation. The current reversal in February remains poorly understood, while the disappearance of the semidiurnal periodicity in winter can be explained in terms of internal tides which disappear from the upper water column when it is vertically mixed.
AB - Four years of current measurements near the northern end of the Gulf of Elat (Aqaba) revealed consistent seasonal trends. The net current along the coast was southward most of the year, with a short period (November-January) of northward flow and an abrupt reversal in early February. This pattern did not correspond with changes in the wind, which was southward over 90% of the time. A semidiurnal peak dominated the current power spectrum during summer (May-October), but was absent in February-May in spite of a year-round prevalence of a semidiurnal peak in the barotropic tide. During winter, when the water column was vertically mixed, a clear onshore (west-ward) current was observed near the surface and a return (offshore) current over the bottom. This cross-shore pattern was consistent with a wind-driven Ekman circulation. The current reversal in February remains poorly understood, while the disappearance of the semidiurnal periodicity in winter can be explained in terms of internal tides which disappear from the upper water column when it is vertically mixed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0002524754&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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AN - SCOPUS:0002524754
SN - 0021-2164
VL - 47
SP - 87
EP - 92
JO - Israel Journal of Earth Sciences
JF - Israel Journal of Earth Sciences
IS - 2
ER -