Study of physical parameters of seawater in the Strait of Hormuz

This paper investigates the spatial and temporal changes in the physical parameters of seawater in the Strait of Hormuz. The data of temperature, salinity, and σt collected using CTD in three different seasons; winter 2012, spring, and summer 2013. Moreover, different water masses and layers were studied. The temporal variations in most stations showed that the whole water column was completely mixed in the winter, but in the summer, the surface layer was homogeneous, and in spring, it was in a transition state. The maximum values of σt variations in water column were 2, 4.25, and 5 kg/m^3 in winter, spring and summer, respectively. With the change of seasons, the volume of water outflow of the Strait of Hormuz varied. Therefore, in the spring water outflow from the Persian Gulf was traceable in the east of Hormuz Strait and the stations near Iran’s coast. Based on this research, it seems that outflow from the Persian Gulf was more in this season. Studying the water masses in different parts of the Hormuz Strait showed that two distinct water masses in the eastern part were observable in all seasons. While, in the middle and western part of the Strait, two different water masses were observed only in the summer. Furthermore, in summer, three different layers were observed in the whole water column. Some fronts were formed in the interfaces between water masses that the strength of fronts was related to the salinity and temperature gradients.