lsO hol ,ne contours
Surface
September 1 960
I : 750000
~ .
The Levant Basin of the Mediterranean
.....
Isoho li ne
canto urs
Surfoce
Septembe r 1961
1: 750 000
Ashke lan
,
.~
119
w
32"0<)'N
Fig.32. Isohaline contours off coast of Israel during Nile floods of 1960 and 1961 (from Oren,
1969)
isohaline deflection is maximal in the winter, whereas in the summer the isohalines tend to straighten out in a north-south direction (Fig. 30).
The annual fluctuation of temperatures in the Levant Basin, thus defined, is
from a low of 16° C (on rare occasions 15° C in the winter) to a maximum of
nearly 29° C (Oren, unpublished data, 1971). The salinity reaches a maximum
value of 39.55%0 in the northeastern corner. Within this fairly homogenous basin
there are two major hydrographical disturbances : the upwelling of cold waters
along the southern coast of Cyprus [summer temperatures of only 22° C (Oren)]
(Fig.31), and the two-month seasonal lowering of the salinity along the north
Sinai and Israel coasts because of the Nile floods (Fig.32) of the past years before
the damming of the Nile waters.
_
Since we are interested in the surface waters to a depth of a few tens of meters,
a scheme borrowed from Oren will suffice to show the vertical stratification of the
Levantine water masses (Fig.33). However, the very stable vertical stratification
Surface
September 1 960
I : 750000
~ .
The Levant Basin of the Mediterranean
.....
Isoho li ne
canto urs
Surfoce
Septembe r 1961
1: 750 000
Ashke lan
,
.~
119
w
32"0<)'N
Fig.32. Isohaline contours off coast of Israel during Nile floods of 1960 and 1961 (from Oren,
1969)
isohaline deflection is maximal in the winter, whereas in the summer the isohalines tend to straighten out in a north-south direction (Fig. 30).
The annual fluctuation of temperatures in the Levant Basin, thus defined, is
from a low of 16° C (on rare occasions 15° C in the winter) to a maximum of
nearly 29° C (Oren, unpublished data, 1971). The salinity reaches a maximum
value of 39.55%0 in the northeastern corner. Within this fairly homogenous basin
there are two major hydrographical disturbances : the upwelling of cold waters
along the southern coast of Cyprus [summer temperatures of only 22° C (Oren)]
(Fig.31), and the two-month seasonal lowering of the salinity along the north
Sinai and Israel coasts because of the Nile floods (Fig.32) of the past years before
the damming of the Nile waters.
_
Since we are interested in the surface waters to a depth of a few tens of meters,
a scheme borrowed from Oren will suffice to show the vertical stratification of the
Levantine water masses (Fig.33). However, the very stable vertical stratification