ON SEASONAL VARIABILITY IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE RED-SEA WATER IN THE NORTH-WEST INDIAN-OCEAN

The investigation of seasonal variability in the distribution of the Red Sea Water (RSW) was carried out in the region 0-20-degrees-N, 43-70-degrees-E (excluding the Gulf of Aden) on the basis of archival hydrographic data from 1935 to 1981. It was shown that the area of the RSW occurrence in summer is at about 9% larger as against that in winter. No more than 1% of this variation resulting from the seasonal pulsations of the RSW flow rate in the Strait of Bab el Mandeb. Main contribution is due to the seasonal variations of oceanic circulation at intermediate depths (600-800 m): the southward transport of the RSW along the Somali coast predominates in winter, whereas the eastward spreading is intensified in summer.