Transport and vergence of the eastern Mediterranean drift current from the average pressure distribution

Abstract

      7300 surface synoptic charts were used to study the wind, the transport and the vergence field of wind drift current over the eastern Mediterranean sea during the peri­od January 1971 to December 1975. During winter and sp­ring seasons, the eastern Mediterranean is affected by de­pression. The transport of the wing drift current gives south- the northern extension of the Azores high, Lee and Sudan monsoon depressions.

      During autumn, it is affected by depression activities as well as the northern extension of the Sudan monsoon de­pression. The transport of the wind drift current gives south­west transport at the Egyptian coast except Sinai coasts during winter and spring seasons. During summer the tran­sport along the western coasts becomes westerly while over the remaining ones they are southwesterly. During the aut­umn season, the western coasts of Egypt as well as Sinai are affected by the northwest transport. From the study of the vergence field of the wind drift current, the Eastern Mediterranean is affected by divergence more than conver­gence during winter and spring seasons. During summer surface convergence is pronounced over the southern part of the eastern Mediterranean, while divergence is more effe­ctive over the northern part. The late autumn vergence field resembles that of early winter.