Characteristics of the wind regime north of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, based on high resolution wind data

Abstract

An analysis of regional wind data was based on the measurements of two weather stations for a period of 2 years. Ten-minute mean values where based on readings in 10-s intervals. In the study, wind direction and sand drift potential were considered. During the course of 1 year six different wind regimes occured: (1)a high energy Mediterranean north-west regime from November to February; (2)a bimodal cyclonic end-phase in March; (3)a moderate eastern spring phase in April; (4) a complex transition phase in May; (5)a high energy summer Shamal regime from June to August; and (6)a low energy autumn phase in September and October. Concerning sand movement potential, two of the phases are not relevant, two show bimodal or complex patterns, and two significantly dominate sand movement from north to south. The summer high energy regime coincides with the unfavourable season for plant growth and thus the lowest vegetation cover. Regarding the actual sand drift the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia is influenced by a unimodal wind regime causing a sand flow from the north areas to the south. There is an over-all decrease in wind energy and sand transport rates, so that accumulation dominates in the southern Jafurah and northern Rub'al Khali. Vegetation characteristics and geomorphological features indicate the amount of actual sand dynamics in the study area. According to such observations and conventional meteorological data, the Eastern Province can be divided into three regions: (1)a sand source region in the north which increases due to a continuing reduction of the vegetation cover; (2)a transport zone where sand input from the north equals sand output to the south, and (3)the accumulation zone in the south which shows a positive sand budget.