A Survey of Heat Balancing in the Persian Gulf

Iran is connected to free ocean and other countries through Persian Gulf, Oman Sea and Caspian Sea. Thus, it is necessary to increase practical and scientific knowledge of seas rapidly. Knowing heat distribution in Persian Gulf helps one to forecast weather condition, predict the habitat of aquatic animals and plants, and provide other accurate information about sea. Generally the total in flow and outflow heat flux of the oceans should be zero; otherwise this oceans will freeze or will be very hot. The heat balance in Persian Gulf is examined in the article. Considering the point that the amount of rain and the inflow water to Persian Gulf is about 90cm/a and evaporation is 213cm/a, therefore, the amount of evaporation is 20-25cm/a more than rain in Persian Gulf annually. Since the Persian Gulf volume of inflow and outflow is 0.186*106 and 0.169*106 m3 /s, the net transfer of heat to this Gulf is 25w/m2. The aim of this article is to explain this extra heat entering Persian Gulf by heat flux terms. The annual mean values of upward heat transfer due to solar radiation, sensible heat, latent heat and infrared radiation fluxes are 245, -4, 179 and 92 w/m3 respectively. The result is upward flux of about 22 w/m2 at the sea surface of this Gulf. This is in fair agreement with the extra heat transport in the Persian Gulf.