Multi-Year and Seasonal Variations of the Constant Halocline Characteristics in the Eastern Part of the Black Sea

B.N. Panov✉, E.O. Spiridonova

Kerch State Maritime Technological University, Kerch, Russian Federation

✉ e-mail: panov_bn@mail.ru

Abstract

The existing notions of divergent processes and multi-year trends in the variability of hydrophysical fields of the upper water layer and the Black Sea main pycnocline layer, as well as the contradictions noted in the discussion of the causes of vertical movements of the Black pycnocline and seasonal variation of the water circulation intensity determine the relevance of the pycnocline structure research.

The present paper is aimed at studying the features of spatial and temporal variations of the Black Sea main halocline characteristics used as indicators of water circulation.

Features of multi-year and seasonal changes in the characteristics of three types of constant halocline state corresponding to the water upwelling and downwelling zones in the eastern Black Sea in 1955 – 1994 are considered. Application of the proposed indices permits to reveal that in multi-year changes of the halocline depth and intensity, the most important ones are the processes taking place in deep anticyclonic eddies, and as for inter-year and seasonal variability – the processes in small anticyclonic eddies. The main feature of the processes under examination consists in predominance of synchronism in gradient changes of the halocline salinity and depth in various dynamic formations. Compensating asynchronism of the halocline vertical movements in the water upwelling and downwelling zones is manifested only at decrease of time and space scales of data averaging up to the seasonal values and the dimension 2° lat. × 4° long., respectively.

In the north-eastern sea area the vorticity intensification of currents was observed in October – December and was due in equal measure to the strengthening of cyclonic and anticyclonic vorticity of currents. In the south-eastern sea area the vorticity intensification occurred either in January – March or in July – September mainly due to the intensification of anticyclonic vorticity.

Keywords

the Black Sea, constant halocline, synoptic eddies, seasonal and interannual variability

For citation

Panov, B.N. and Spiridonova, E.O., 2015. Multi-Year and Seasonal Variations of the Constant Halocline Characteristics in the Eastern Part of the Black Sea. Physical Oceanography, (2), pp. 51-58. doi:10.22449/1573-160X-2015-2-51-58

DOI

10.22449/1573-160X-2015-2-51-58

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