Mesoscale variability in the Arabian Sea from HYCOM model results and observations: impact on the Persian Gulf Water path
Abstract. The Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman circulation and water masses, subject to the monsoon forcing, reveal a strong seasonal variability and intense mesoscale features. We describe and analyse this variability and these features, using both meteorological data (from ECMWF reanalyses), in-situ observations (from the ARGO float program and the GDEM climatology), satellite altimetry (from AVISO) and a regional simulation with a primitive equation model (HYCOM). The EOFs of the seasonal variability of the water masses quantify their main changes in thermohaline characteristics and in position. The model and observations display comparable variability, and the model is then used to analyse the three-dimensional structure of eddies and water masses with a higher resolution. The mesoscale eddies have a deep dynamical influence and strongly drive the water masses at depth. In particular, in the Sea of Oman, the Persian Gulf Water presents several offshore ejection sites and a complex recirculation, depending on the mesoscale eddies. This water mass is also captured inside the eddies via several mechanisms, keeping high thermohaline characteristics in the Arabian Sea. These characteristics are validated on the GOGP99 cruise data.