Velocity fields in Northern Caspian near Jayik (Ural) river delta

Abstract

<p>The Caspian Sea is the largest inland water body on the Earth and a unique object for analysis. It is of great importance for the socioeconomic development of bordering countries. Unique fish resources and oil and gas fields are projected to provide a significant source of food and economic prosperity to the Caspian region, as well as energy to many parts of the world. National and transnational oil and gas corporations are involved in the utilization of the commercially attractive Caspian natural resources. The Caspian Sea has been influenced by climate change and anthropogenic disturbance during recent decades, yet the scientific understanding of this water body remains poor. Climatic variability of water circulation in the Caspian Sea remains unclear. Traditionally, currents in the Caspian Sea have been investigated by numerical methods. Instrumental observations of the currents in the Caspian Sea are mostly carried out in the shelf zone. Available data cover very short periods and reflect variability only in synoptic and higher frequency of the sea dynamics. In this work, water velocity data based on SeaHorse equipment is under consideration. Three stations were in northern Caspian, area adjacent to Jayik (Ural) River delta. In both cases, the instruments were deployed in 2016 and 2017 at the point 46.782N, 51.384E, depth about 3 m. In this work, we will present the preliminary results of our study of the field observations we gathered in these points. We also present the analysis of the potential drivers for the spatial and temporal patterns of the measured currents velocity.</p>