Variability of Characteristics of the Coastal Current at the Southern Coast of Crimea in 2017–2019

A. S. Kuznetsov*, V. V. Zima, S. V. Shcherbachenko

Marine Hydrophysical Institute RAS, Sevastopol, Russia

* e-mail: kaskasev@mail.ru

Abstract

This paper aims at specifying peculiarities of the coastal water circulation according to the current monitoring data obtained at the stationary oceanographic platform of the Black Sea hydrophysical sub-satellite testing area of the MHI RAS near the Southern coast of Crimea in 2017–2019. The monitoring was performed using the technology of continuous measurements with a vertically distributed (from the surface to bottom layer) complex of Euler vector-averaging meters of the horizontal current component. The new results are matched to those of the coastal current monitoring obtained for the previous period from 2008 to 2016. For the entire observation period (2008–2019), the annual focused current of coastal waters kept the west-south-western direction, with its vertical structure remaining stable. In 2017–2019, a verifiable decrease was registered in the annual longshore current velocity, on average by 10 % throughout the depth up to 7.8 cm/s at a depth of 5 m and up to 6.4 cm/s at a depth of 20 m. Also, the relevant characteristics of bimodal distribution of direction repeatability within original (non-averaged) data remained unchanged. Further, for 12 years, the oscillation intensity of the coastal current with periods of 10–13 days or less remained reliably unchanged. While analyzing the vertical structure of averaged for 2017–2019 kinetic energy spectra in the inertial-gravitational fluctuation range, two separate regions are reliably detected of regular oscillations with daily (24 h) and local inertia (about 17 h) periods. The obtained new research results can be used while performing validation calculations of local models of the coastal water circulation in the water area of the Southern coast of Crimea. This includes also planning measures to provide crisis monitoring of the coastal ecotone of the sea due to pollution of the coastal and shelf waters.

Keywords

Black Sea hydrophysical sub-satellite testing area, Southern coast of Crimea, monitoring, coastal current structure, coastal current dynamics, kinetic energy spectra, sea currents

Acknowledgments

The research is performed under state order on topic No. 0827-2019-0004 “Complex interdisciplinary research of oceanologic processes, which determine functioning and evolution of the Black and Azov Sea coastal ecosystems”.

For citation

Kuznetsov, A.S., Zima, V.V. and Shcherbachenko, S.V., 2020. Variability of Characteristics of the Coastal Current at the Southern Coast of Crimea in 2017–2019. Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (3), pp. 5–16. doi:10.22449/2413-5577-2020-3-5-16 (in Russian).

DOI

10.22449/2413-5577-2019-3-4-18

References

  1. Ivanov, V.A. and Belokopytov, V.N., 2013. Oceanography of the Black Sea. Sevastopol: MHI, 210 p. (in Russian).
  2. Verzhevskaya, L.V. and Minkovskaya, R.Yа., 2020. Structure and Dynamics of Anthropogenic Load on the Coastal Zone of the Sevastopol Region. Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (2), pp. 92–106. doi:10.22449/2413-5577-2020-2-92-106 (in Russian).
  3. Kuznetsov, A.S. and Zima, V.V., 2019. Development of Observing System of the Black Sea Hydrophysical Polygon in 2001 – 2015. Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (4), pp. 62–72. doi:10.22449/2413-5577-2019-4-62-72 (in Russian).
  4. Ivanov, V.A., 2014. Conceptual Bases and Modern Strategy for Construction of a Marine Sub-Satellite Testing Area. In: V. A. Ivanov and V. A. Dulov, eds., 2014. Monitoring of the Coastal Zone in the Black Sea Experimental Sub-Satellite Testing Area. Sevastopol: ECOSI-Gidrofizika, pp. 7–28 (in Russian).
  5. Belyaev, V.I., Doroguntsov, S.I., Sovga, E.E. and Nikolaenko, T.S., 2001. Estimation of Degree of Anthropogenic Loads on Coastal Zones and Ecotones of the Black Sea Coast of Ukraine. Morskoy Gidrofizicheskiy Zhurnal, (1), pp. 55–63 (in Russian).
  6. Kuznetsov, A.S., Shapovalov, Yu.I. and Shapovalov, R.O., 2019. Results of Monitoring the Surface Field Dynamics in the Black Sea Waters Using a Ferry Box System. Physical Oceanography, 26(4), pp. 341–349. doi:10.22449/1573-160X-2019-4-341-349
  7. Khimchenko, E.E. and Serebryany, A.N., 2018. Internal Waves on the Caucasian and Crimean Shelves of the Black Sea (according to Summer-Autumn Observations 2011–2016). Journal of Oceanological Research, 46(2), pp. 69–87. doi:10.29006/1564-2291.JOR-2018.46(2).7 (in Russian).
  8. Ivanov, V.A., Kuznetsov, A.S. and Morozov, A.N., 2019. Monitoring Coastal Water Circulation along the South Coast of Crimea. Doklady Earth Sciences, 485(2), pp. 405–408. doi:10.1134/S1028334X19040044
  9. Kuznetsov, A.S., 2018. System of Assessment of the Vector Data Quality and Opportunity of Antenna Measurements of Currents. Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (1), pp. 50–57. doi:10.22449/2413-5577-2018-1-50-57 (in Russian).
  10. Hamming, R.W., 1977. Digital Filters. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 226 p.

Full text

English version (PDF)

Russian version (PDF)