Inter-annual Variability and Prediction of Eddies in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Current Region
Abstract
The long-term goal of this project is to understand and quantify the physical processes that determine the air-sea interactions, currents, and hydrography in the western Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea from diurnal time scales to interannual variability. The research will provide a detailed investigation of the physical aspects of eddies found in the Gulf of Aden and in the Somali Current region in the Arabian Sea. The project aims to quantify the physical characteristics and statistics of the eddies, including the impact of the eddies on air-sea interactions; their horizontal scales; their variation with depth; their influence on temperature, salinity, and density; their generation; and their life span. The Gulf of Aden is important for the world economy. It is one of the most active shipping lanes in the world, connecting the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal. Over 22,000 ships pass through the Gulf annually. Nearly 3 million barrels of oil are transported through the Gulf of Aden daily. To the south near the island of Socotra and near the Somali coast shipping is exposed to attacks from pirates at an increasingly alarming rate. In 2007 there were 13 attacks. In 2008 over 300 ships were attacked, of which 40 vessels were hijacked, including a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil. Given the strategic and economic importance of the Gulf of Aden, the entrance to the Red Sea and hence the Suez Canal, surprisingly little attention has been given to the strong eddy activity found in the area. It is expected that a better knowledge of the currents, in particular the seasonal changes of the energetic mesoscale eddies in Gulf of Aden, will be useful for naval ship operations, search and rescue, and control of oil spills in this important geographic area.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA527308
Entities
People
- Julian P. Mccreary Jr.
- Tommy G. Jensen
Organizations
- University of Hawaiʻi System