Detection of internal waves in the Persian Gulf

Abstract

ABSTRACT Identification and characteristics of Internal Waves (IWs) are widely used in a variety of industries, including shipbuilding, maritime, as well as oil and marine engineering. In this study, IWs have been detected using field measurement and satellite remote sensing in the Persian Gulf during the period 2000–2015. In order to identify the potential areas for IWs after vertical changes in the physical parameters such as temperature, salinity, and sigma-T (σT) resulted by field measurements, the areas where high stratifications of seawater were identified. Satellite images corresponding to the identified areas were then prepared and the required modifications were made to the images. IWs were then manifested by such images in different parts of the study area. For the first time, a comprehensive map of the occurrence of IWs has been prepared and presented using Landsat 7 and 8, Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images. Then, spatio-temporal analysis of IWs indicates that the density of them decreases from the Strait of Hormuz in the east of the Persian Gulf to the Khowr-e-Musa estuary in the west. In addition, IWs mainly occur in the warm season, from early March to September and weaken or disappear in the cold season in the Persian Gulf.