Temperature, Salinity and Circulation in Saudi Coastal Waters (Arabian Gulf) during May 1985

Abstract

Temperature salinity, and current measurements were made hourly at 6 stations in Saudi coastal waters during 19 to 29 May 1985. The surface temperature decreased from Ras Tanura to Manifa and the water mixing off Ras Tanura was higher than in any other region of the Saudi coastal water. Salinity increased from surface to bottom and from Manifa to Ras Tanura. T-S diagram showed 2 distinct water masses at most of the stations. The current measurements showed that the tide-induced current generally tends to flow south through southeastward on flood and west through northwestward on ebb tide. The survey suggests that the general trend of surface circulation pattern along the Saudi coastal waters of the Arabian Gulf is southeastward flow.