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The Gulf of Eilat is an elongated, deep basin in the northern Red Sea. We investigate various mixing processes using recent observational data acquired from a combination of moored platforms and HF coastal radar. We present the first regular ,high vertical resolution profiles of density and velocity and the first deep, long-term profiles of velocity and high frequency temperature measurements collected in the Gulf of Eilat.
> The variability of the stratification and its effect on the magnitude of alongshore semi-diurnal tidal currents in the northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba are examined using recent observational data acquired from a combination of moored platforms. The variability of the stratification consists of both periodic and episodic components and occurs over a range of time scales, from hourly to seasonal. Large amplitude, tidally-driven internal waves were observed throughout the year under different stratification conditions. Episodic cooling and warming events were observed during convective mixing in winter and re-stratification in spring. The magnitude of the alongshore semi-diurnal tidal currents is strongly correlated with the stratification.
> Lateral mixing is examined using surface current measured by HF radar. Here, we modify the traditional random-walk stochastic model to include a large-scale flow (obtained from a numerical model, satellite measurements, or HF radar surface current measurements) that varies in both space and time. A stochastic term is added to represent sub-grid-scale, or unresolved, turbulence and is related to the horizontal eddy diffusivity and thousands of virtual particles are transported by the large-scale flow and the stochastic "jumps." The magnitude of the eddy diffusivity is increased until the barrier is no longer present in the flow field, thus providing an estimate of the upper bound of the horizontal eddy diffusivity.