Modeling of the Turkish Strait System Using a High Resolution Unstructured Grid Ocean Circulation Model

Ilıcak M., Federico I., Barletta I., Mutlu S., Karan H., Ciliberti S. A., ...More

JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, vol.9, no.7, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 9 Issue: 7
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.3390/jmse9070769
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Aerospace Database, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, INSPEC, Metadex, Veterinary Science Database, Directory of Open Access Journals, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Keywords: sea of Marmara, Bosphorus strait, Dardanelles strait, Turkish strait system, SHYFEM, BLACK-SEA, EXCHANGE, BOSPORUS, SIMULATIONS, WATER
  • Istanbul Technical University Affiliated: No

Abstract

The Turkish Strait System, which is the only connection between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, is a challenging region for ocean circulation models due to topographic constraints and water mass structure. We present a newly developed high resolution unstructured finite element grid model to simulate the Turkish Strait System using realistic atmospheric forcing and lateral open boundary conditions. We find that the jet flowing from the Bosphorus Strait into the Marmara creates an anticyclonic circulation. The eddy kinetic energy field is high around the jets exiting from the Bosphorus Strait, Dardanelles Strait, and also the leeward side of the islands in the Marmara Sea. The model successfully captures the two-layer structure of the Sea of Marmara. The volume transport at the Bosphorus is around 120 km(3)/year which is consistent with the recent observations. The largest bias in the model is at the interface depth due to the shallower mixed layer.