Seasonal heat budgets of the Red and Black seas

Abstract

In this study we calculate the monthly heat budget of the Red and Black Seas and its components: the net solar and net terrestrial fluxes, the sensible and latent heat fluxes, and the monthly heat content change. A radiation transfer model is employed for the estimation of the net solar and terrestrial energy fluxes, instead of commonly used parameterizations. The agreement with radiation fluxes measured at surface stations is within 10 W m-2. The Red Sea net solar flux estimate is lower than past studies, while the Black Sea heat budget components are comparable to some past results. The monthly heat content of both seas is estimated from water temperature and salinity profiles and is found to dominate the seasonal energy exchange between the water and the atmosphere, as for the Mediterranean Sea. The latent heat flux is calculated using two methodologies: the bulk aerodynamic and the energy balance method. Our annual results for the Red and Black seas show solar heating of 238 and 139 W m-2, respectively. The evaporation rates are 2120 and 960 mm yr-1, respectively. The annual aerosol direct forcing on the net solar flux is -10 W m-2 and -3 W m-2. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.