Large eddy simulation of the Ekman transport in a stratified coastal sea: A case study of the Persian Gulf

Ekman transport is a key factor in the coastal upwelling regimes in the northern coastal region of the Persian Gulf. In this paper, the Ocean Module of Parallelized Large-Eddy Simulation Model (PALM) was utilized so as to investigate the Ekman layer and estimate the water mass transport in the Persi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Estuarine, coastal and shelf science Vol. 212; pp. 372 - 386
Main Authors:	Farmanara, Mohamad, Malakooti, Hossein, Hassanzadeh, Smaeyl
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier Ltd 15-11-2018
Subjects:	Ekman layer Ekman pumping Large eddy simulation Mixed layer Persian gulf Upwelling Persian gulf Mixed layer Ekman layer Ekman pumping Upwelling Large eddy simulation
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Ekman transport is a key factor in the coastal upwelling regimes in the northern coastal region of the Persian Gulf. In this paper, the Ocean Module of Parallelized Large-Eddy Simulation Model (PALM) was utilized so as to investigate the Ekman layer and estimate the water mass transport in the Persian Gulf for the first time. In order to take into account the effect of the topography on the Ekman transport, three experiments with the same initial and boundary conditions and different topographies were carried out. The results indicated that, in the vicinity of the shoreline and in shallow waters Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) is 10 times stronger than in the offshore area. It was concluded that in the presence of the shoreline the vertical velocity increases and in the onshore area, the upwelling speed is 3–4 times larger than in the offshore area. It was revealed that the Ekman transport reached a steady state at the end of the simulation, and reached a constant value of about 250 kg/ms.
ISSN:	0272-7714 1096-0015
DOI:	10.1016/j.ecss.2018.08.003