Spatial Structure of Sea Currents in the Sea of Azov Based on Numerical Modeling Data

B. V. Divinsky

Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation

divin@ocean.ru

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of the study is to obtain climatic spatial fields of currents in the Sea of Azov.

Methods and Results. The parameters of sea currents in the Sea of Azov were calculated for a 45-year climatic period (January 1979 – December 2023) using mathematical modeling and a combined hydrodynamic model that accounts for the interaction between currents and wind waves in shallow water conditions. The model was verified against available experimental data on current parameters, wind waves and sea level. The three-dimensional spatial structure of surface and bottom currents in the Sea of Azov has been established. The main feature is a large cyclonic gyre occupying the entire water column in the central part of the sea. In the western part of the sea, surface currents form local eddy structures with a general water transport directed toward the Arabat Spit, while bottom currents form an anticyclonic eddy with a general transport from the Arabat Spit northeastward. The areas of the most intense currents were identified: the Dolzhansky Strait connecting the main basin with Taganrog Bay, Taganrog Bay itself, the tips of the spits along the northern coast, and the southern part of the sea adjacent to the Kerch Strait. In these areas, the maximum speed of surface currents reaches ~ 1.2 m/s (up to 1.5 m/s in the strait), and that of bottom currents reaches 0.6–0.7 m/s.

Conclusions. The study has made it possible, for the first time, to obtain separate climatic fields of surface and bottom currents in the Sea of Azov and to reveal the complex vertical structure of its circulation. The results provide a basis for solving both fundamental and applied problems, including navigation safety, assessment of bottom sediment transport, and environmental monitoring.

Keywords

Sea of Azov, numerical modeling, climatic fields of currents, water circulation

Acknowledgements

The formation of the sea current parameters database and the setup of the numerical model were carried out within the framework of state assignments of IO RAS FMWE-2024-0027 and 8.5. The problem was formulated, and the results were processed and analyzed with the support of Russian Science Foundation Grant No. 25-17-00104, https://rscf.ru/project/25-17-00104.

Original russian text

Original Russian Text © B. V. Divinsky, 2025, published in MORSKOY GIDROFIZICHESKIY ZHURNAL, Vol. 41, Iss. 6, pp. 843-854 (2025)

For citation

Divinsky, B.V., 2025. Spatial Structure of Sea Currents in the Sea of Azov Based on Numerical Modeling Data. Physical Oceanography, 32(6), pp. 861-870.

References

  1. Fomin, V.V., 2002. Numerical Model of the Circulation of Waters in the Sea of Azov. Nauchnye Trudy UkrNIGMI, 249, pp. 246-255 (in Russian).
  2. Matishov, G.G. and Matishov, D.G., 2009. [New Principles for Representing the Circulation of the Sea of Azov]. In: SSC RAS, 2009. Proceedings of the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vol. IV. Modeling and Analysis of Hydrological Processes in the Sea of Azov. Rostov-on-Don, Southern Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences Publishers, pp. 196-202 (in Russian).
  3. Fomin, V.V., Polozok, A.A. and Fomina, I.N., 2015. Simulation of the Azov Sea Water Circulation Subject to the River Discharge. _Physical Oceanograph_y, (1), pp. 15-26. https://doi.org/10.22449/1573-160X-2015-1-15-26
  4. Matishov, G.G. and Grigorenko, K.S., 2020. Dynamic Mode of the Azov Sea in Conditions of Salinization. Doklady Earth Sciences, 492(1), pp. 376-381. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X20050141
  5. Matishov, G.G. and Grigorenko, K.S., 2021. Currents of the Azov Sea during the Don River Low-Water Period. Oceanology, 61(2), pp. 173-182. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437021020132
  6. Divinsky, B.V., Kosyan, R.D. and Fomin V.V., 2021. Climatic Fields of Sea Currents and Wind Waves in the Sea of Azov. Doklady Earth Sciences, 501(1), pp. 976-988. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X21090087
  7. Fomin, V.V. and Polozok, A.A., 2013. [Technology for Modelling Storm Surges and Wind Waves in the Sea of Azov on Unstructured Grids]. In: MHI, 2013. Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones and Comprehensive Use of Shelf Resources. Sevastopol: ECOSI-Gidrofizika. Iss. 27, pp. 139-145 (in Russian).
  8. Popov, S.K. and Lobov, A.L., 2017. Modeling of the Sea Level Changes of the Azov Sea in 2015-2016. Proceedings of the Hydrometeorological Research Center of the Russian Federation, 364, pp. 131-143 (in Russian).
  9. Popov, S.K. and Lobov, A.L., 2018. Short-Term Forecasts of the Azov Sea Level Variations during the Iceless Period in 2017. Hydrometeorological Research and Forecasting, 3(369), pp. 104-118 (in Russian).
  10. Zhukova, S.V., Shishkin, V.M., Kuropatkin, A.P., Lutynskaya, L.A., Fomenko, I.F. and Podmareva, T.I., 2008. Results of the Studies of the Azov Sea Current Regime in 2006 by the Meter “Vektor-2” of a New Generation. Problems of Fisheries, 9(4), pp. 832-838 (in Russian).
  11. Knipovich, N.M., 1932. The Hydrological Investigations in the Black Sea Area. Transactions of the Azov-Black Sea Scientific and Fishery Expedition; iss. 5. Moscow, 496 p. (in Russian).
  12. Osborn, S., 1857. On the Geography of the Sea of Azov, the Putrid Sea, and Adjacent Coasts, &c. Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, 27, pp. 133-148. https://doi.org/10.2307/1798371
  13. Zatsepin, A.G., Elkin, D.N., Korzh, A.O., Kuklev, S.B., Podymov, O.I., Ostrovskii, A.G. and Soloviev, D.M., 2016. On Influence of Current Variability in the Deep Black Sea upon Water Dynamics of Narrow North Caucasian Continental Shelf. Physical Oceanography, (3), pp. 14-22. https://doi.org/10.22449/1573-160X-2016-3-14-22
  14. Misirov, S.A. and Bespalova, L.A., 2024. [Assessment of Cliff Dynamics in the Coastal Zone of Taganrog Bay Based on Remote Sensing and GIS Data]. In: MSU, 2024. Coastal Zone of Russian Seas in the 21st Century: Abstracts of XXX All-Russian Conference, Moscow, 3–7 June 2024. Moscow: Faculty of Geography MSU, pp. 53-54 (in Russian).

Download the article (PDF)

We use Yandex Metrics. Read more.

Мы используем Яндекс Метрику. Подробнее.