The Impacts of the Atmospheric Forcing on Thermocline Layer Structure in the Caspian Sea

In this study, the structure of thermocline layer in the Middle Caspian Sea (MCS) and Southern Caspian Sea (SCS) for 2004 was investigated using the three-dimensional ocean model COHERENS. The simulation results for three transects (along South-North, in Southern Caspian Sea "along 38.91N", in Middle Caspian Sea "along 42.45N" show that, in winter, season thermocline is almost eliminated and the temperature is uniform up to a depth of 100 m. After the erosion of surface thermocline in winter, this layer is recreated in spring. The results show the formation of a strong thermocline in summer and in the beginning of autumn, the thickness of the thermocline is reduced. In general, seasonal variability of water temperature is confined to the upper 120m layers. Also transects of Southern and Middle Caspian Sea show some special regions in which thermocline layer structure is stronger. Thus thermocline layer is created at a depth less than 25m from the sea surface water in eastern coast of SCS and at a depth less than 20m from the sea surface water in western coast of MCS during the summer.