Seasonal variations of sound speed in the Arabian Gulf |
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| Institution: | 2. T. Shevchenko Kiev National University, Kiev, 01601, Ukraine;1. Department of Geology, Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran;2. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China;3. College of Science, Earth Science Department, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman;4. Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India;5. Department for Management of Science and Technology Development, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;6. Department of Geology, Alagappa University, Tamil Nadu, Karaikudi, India;7. Department of Applied Geosciences, German University of Technology in Oman GUtech, Halban, Oman |
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| Abstract: | Sound-speed computations from CTD casts in the Arabian Gulf during 1992, reveal spatial and temporal variations in acoustic properties. Hydrographic conditions affecting sound speed propagation were seasonally investigated. A monotonic decrease in sound speed profiles with depth was commonly observed at almost all the stations in the Gulf. However, an exception occurred at Hormuz strait during winter. The water exchange pattern between the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf seems to influence the sound-speed structure, especially in the southern part of the latter. Winter profiles along the Gulf axis showed almost vertically homogenous sound speed. Maximum speeds are observed in summer, with a strong gradient associated with the development of the summer thermocline layer. Horizontal distributions in both winter and summer show a decreasing trend in sound speed from the Strait of Hormuz to the head of the Gulf. The resultant profiles provide a more comprehensive and reliable data set than any that have been reported in the literature. Shallowness and multiple refraction and reflection in the Arabian Gulf may cause sound speed energy to be trapped. No sound channel was detected inside the Gulf. A correlation analysis shows that sound speed is closely correlated with temperature throughout the Gulf, except in winter in the southern half where salinity effects, as a result of inversion and water exchange at the entrance, are found to be dominant. |
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