Latent and Sensible Heat Flux in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden using the NEMO Ocean Model Simulation

The new configuration of NEMO (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean) model in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden was presented for analyzing latent heat flux (LHF) and sensible heat flux (SHF) patterns in the region. The model was setup with 1/20° horizontal resolution and 30 vertical layers, using ERA5 atmospheric data for surface forcing. The model output for LHF, and SHF was compared with KAUST-Buoy observations and many reanalysis products (the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) surface turbulence fluxes, Japanese Ocean Flux Data Sets with Use of Remote Sensing Observations (J-OFURO3), Objectively Analyzed air-sea Fluxes for the global oceans (OAFlux), and Air-Sea fluxes for the global tropical oceans (TropFlux)) for validation, The model shows strong correlation coefficient 0.95 for LHF and 0.9 for SHF with the observations. Monthly mean climatology for eight years data (2008–2015) from model output was analyzed and found clear seasonal and spatial patterns for both heat fluxes. For LHF, maximum values occur in northern Red Sea during winter months (200–300 W/m2) and minimum values during summer (0–100 W/m2), showing clear pattern from north to south. For SHF, positive values (20–40 W/m2) exist in northern region during winter and negative values during summer months in the southern region indicating more heat loss in the north and heat gain in the south. The Gulf of Aden shows different patterns in seasonal variation, especially the western part during summer. Based on heat flux characteristics, we identify three zones: northern zone (north of 20°N) having maximum variation in seasons, middle zone (15°N–20°N) showing medium seasonal changes, and southern zone (below 15°N) with minimal variation. These results show that NEMO model can simulate air-sea heat exchanges with high accuracy in the region, giving important understanding about Red Sea and Gulf of Aden heat variability.