Dataset\_Three-dimensional Pathways of the Salinity-Driven Overturning Circulation in the Northwestern Indian Ocean
Abstract
Strong evaporation in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf makes surface waters saltier and denser. These dense waters sink and flow out through the Bab-el-Mandeb and strait of Hormuz, while fresher waters flow in near the surface to replace them, forming a salinity-driven overturning circulation that helps ventilate the northwestern Indian Ocean. Here we use an eddy-resolving ocean model and thousands of virtual particles to map this circulation in full 3D, and to quantify the pathways and timescales through which the marginal seas regulate intermediate-water properties and the regional ventilation environment.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
Marine and coastal ecosystems
Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Figshare
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Document type
- Dataset