Ocean science· 2026Q1
Hydrographic transformation of the Persian/Arabian Gulf outflow over rough shelf bathymetry in the Gulf of Oman
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Rough shelf bathymetry in the Gulf of Oman causes the hypersaline Persian/Arabian Gulf outflow to thicken, lose bottom contact, and mix significantly, altering its properties and impacting the Arabian Sea's Oxygen Minimum Zone.
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Key points
- Rough shelf bathymetry in the Gulf of Oman causes the Persian/Arabian Gulf outflow to thicken and detach from the seafloor.
- Downstream, the outflow experiences enhanced mixing, leading to decreased salinity, oxygen, and pH.
- Distinct benthic communities are associated with attached versus detached flow sectors, indicating differing hydrodynamic regimes.
- Bathymetric roughness is the primary control on the near-field transformation of the outflow.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract. Hypersaline overflows from Marginal seas contribute to global ocean circulation and climate variability. The Persian/Arabian Gulf (P/AG) contributes dense, saline, oxygenated deep outflow into the Arabian Sea’s Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ). Here, we present high-resolution hydrographic mapping of the UAE-Oman margin in the northwestern Arabian Sea, integrating CTD profiles, multibeam bathymetry and ROV imagery. The P/AG outflow forms a thin bottom-attached layer that thickens dramatically over the rough, irregular seafloor of the unstable shelf, where dilution and loss of bottom contact occur. Near-bottom salinity, oxygen, and pH decrease systematically downstream in association with enhanced mixing. Distinct benthic assemblages coincide with attached versus detached flow sectors, consistent with differing near-bed hydrodynamic regimes. These observations indicate that bathymetric roughness controls the near-field transformation of the outflow. Because outflow density depends on Gulf warming and evaporation, modest climatic shifts may alter detachment depth, pathway geometry, and intermediate-depth ventilation of the Arabian Sea OMZ.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Ocean science, 2026 · DOI ↗
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OceanographyEarth and Planetary Sciences