Seasonal variations of temperature and salinity in the Gulf of Elat (Aqaba)

The distributions of temperatures, salinites, and their month-to-month variations in the upper 300 m in the Gulf of Elat (Aqaba) from 1974 to 1977 are described. Both temperature and salinity are high in summer (∼26°C, ∼41‰, at the surface), and low in winter (∼21°C, ∼40.5‰, at the surface). The summer transition of salinity occurs 2 to 3 months later (August, September) than that of temperature (May, June, July). The water column is stratified throughout the year but much less so in winter and less so in the north (far away from the straits) than in the south (near the straits). The winter stratification is mainly due to salt, while the summer stratification is mainly due to temperature. An attempt to estimate the temperature and salinity distributions at the Straits of Tiran from neighbouring stations was only partially satisfactory.