Renewal of deep water in the Red Sea during 1982–1987

Abstract

Between October 1982 and May 1983 the deep water in the northern Red Sea was ventilated through slope convection. The deep water became cooler, fresher, and more oxygenated. Dense bottom water formed in the Gulf of Suez during winter cooling sank down the continental slope, thereby entraining near‐surface and intermediate depth waters. From the application of a one‐dimensional plume model, a vertical transport of 0.58 × 106 m3 s−1 over a period of 7 months was estimated. Long‐term time series of atmospheric heat fluxes show that such a major convection event can occur every 4–7 years. The corresponding renewal time of the Red Sea deep water is thus of the order of 40–90 years, in agreement with previous estimates.