Role of shamal and easterly winds on the wave characteristics off Qatar, central Arabian Gulf

Abstract

Waves in the Arabian Gulf (Gulf) are dominated by shamal winds during winter and early summer. Although wave characteristics in the Gulf are broadly studied, features associated with various wind systems are not explicitly covered, especially in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Qatar. In this study, we analyzed the wave parameters measured off Fuwairit, north coast of Qatar during 29 October - 26 November 2019 to identify the features associated with different wind systems. The analyses have been further extended to the Gulf using the reanalysis waves obtained from the COPERNICUS Marine Environment Monitoring Services (CMEMS) to describe the monthly, seasonal and annual characteristics. Results indicate that Nashi winds influence the east and northeast coasts of Qatar with higher waves than those generated by shamal winds. We find exceptional easterly (Nashi) waves during March 2019 contributing to the highest monthly mean Hs, which is a deviation from the known long-term wave climate of the Gulf.