Geostrophic Currents Along the Eastern Coast of the Central Red Sea

ABSTRACf. Geostrophic computations of currents along the eastern coast of the Red Sea between 21 °-24°N show that the suriace circulation is mainly governed by the seasonal wind system. During November 1977 and De-cember 1982 geostrophic currents were directed in a north-northwest direc-tion under the influence of the south-southeasterly winds of the southern half of the Red Sea. In March 1982 the currents were weak and variable ex" cept at the northernmost section where the current had reversed to south-southeast under the influence of the north-northwesterly winds. In May 1978 geostrophic currents were in a south-southeasterly direction. The cur-rent meter data during May 1978 also show that the current direction is the same as obtained from geostrophic computations. Intr~uction The Red Sea stretches from the straits of Bab-el- Mandab in the south to the Sinai Peninsula in the north. It is situated in an Arid zone where evaporation greatly ex-ceeds precipitation (Morcos1970). Consequently the large excess of evaporation