Overview of Wind Climatology for the Gulf of Oman and the Northern Arabian Sea

摘要

Wind data from three different Atmospheric models, including National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), Climate Forecast Reanalysis System (CFSR), and European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) were used to summarize the wind climate over the Gulf of Oman and the northern Arabian Sea. General circulation pattern over this region is significantly affected by summer and winter monsoons driven by land-sea latent heat difference. Winter monsoon occurs from November to April and is associated with northeasterly winds with average speeds of < 5 m/s, summer monsoon of July-September causes energetic and persistent southerly and southwesterly winds with average speed of 15 m/s. This persistent wind regime during summer contributes significantly to ocean circulation and biogeochemical processes in the northern Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Rest of the months are considered as either post-monsoon (October) or pre-monsoon (May and June) with a transition phase and less persistent wind pattern. Annual wind data analysis of the Gulf of Oman and the northern Arabian Sea shows that predominant wind direction in the Gulf of Oman is westerly to northwesterly, while for the northern Arabian Sea southwesterly is the most frequent wind direction.