Monthly Mean Characteristics of the Intra-Annual Variability
of the Caspian Sea Water Circulation from an Eddy-Resolving
Thermohydrodynamical Model

D. G. Kurdyumov¹ and E. Ozsoy²

¹ Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

² Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Erdemli, Turkey

Received June 8, 2004

Abstract—We studied the seasonal variability of the water circulation in the Caspian Sea with the use of an
improved model of the thermohydrodynamical processes. In comparison with recent studies [4], in the model
proposed, the problem is solved over a finer spatial grid using 6-h atmospheric conditions. The explicit descrip-
tion of the mesoscale processes and high-frequency oscillations with time scales of ~10²10⁴ s allowed us to
widen the set of phenomena represented by the model. We analyzed the monthly mean characteristics of the
water circulation, the eddy generation in the jet alongshore currents, the three-dimensional structure of the
upwelling, the currents off the Kura River, and the currents along the eastern coast of the sea. The results of the
modeling are compared with the data of field observations of the large-scale and mesoscale phenomena in the
Caspian Sea. The subsurface cyclonic currents (below 20–50 m) in the deep-water parts of the sea are the most
stable during a year. The seasonal variability of the surface currents is caused by the wind variability and
momentum exchange with the subsurface currents.

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