Arabian coast. Bottom topography and bottom sediments
Flows into the Arabian Sea large river Ind. The banks are high, rocky, and in some places low-lying deltaic; indented by bays and bays. The largest gulfs are: Aden in the West (connected by the Babel-Mandeb Strait with the Red Sea), Oman in the northwest (connected by the Strait of Hormuz with the Persian Gulf), Kutch and Cambay in NE islands few, all of them are located near the coast; the largest islands are Socotra and Laccadive.
The bottom topography is leveled and has a general slope from North to South. The underwater Murray Ridge extends to the West, above which the depths decrease to 349 and 1993 m. The soil is composed of biogenic silts, off the coast of the mainland - terrigenous sediments, and near the coral islands - coral sand.
Climate Arabian Sea monsoon. In winter, winds from north-easterly directions predominate, bringing clear cool weather, in summer - southwestern winds, which determine cloudy, humid weather. Typhoons are frequent in spring, summer and autumn. In winter the air temperature is 20-25°C, in summer 25-29°C. Precipitation ranges from 23-125 mm per year in the West to 3100 mm in the East with a maximum in the summer months.
Surface currents are directed to the West in winter and to the East in summer. The water temperature on the sea surface in winter is 22-27°C, in summer 23-28°C with a maximum of 29°C in May. Salinity 35.8-36.5%. The tides are irregular, semidiurnal, their height is up to 5.1 m. Under the influence of the deep waters of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf in the Arabian Sea at a depth of up to 1500 m, the temperature is above 5°C, the salinity exceeds 35%. Fauna: dugong, flying fish, tuna, swordfish, southern. herring, reef fish, sailfish, etc.
Main ports: Colombo, Bombay, Karachi, Aden.
This marginal sea has several names - Oman, Green, Persian, Indo-Arab, Eritrean. It is located between the Arabian Peninsula and Hindustan. Southern border sea is conditional.
The area occupied by the waters of the Arabian Sea is 4832 thousand sq. km - this is one of the largest seas in the World Ocean. Maximum depth- 5203 m, average - 2734 m. The entire sea area is located in the tropical and subtropical zones of the northern hemisphere.
A large water artery, the Indus River, flows into the Arabian Sea.
On the map Indian Ocean you can see the Arabian Sea.
IN Persian Gulf The Tigris and Euphrates rivers carry their waters. This bay, located in the northeast, beyond the Gulf of Oman, can be considered part of the Arabian Sea. It is an extremely wealthy area economically. Firstly, pearl fishing is developed here. The ancient Greeks called this bay "Tilos", which means "pearl". Especially a lot of high-quality pearls are mined in the area of the Bahrain Islands.
However, the Persian Gulf is also known for another jewel, which in our time is valued no less than pearls. There are huge deposits of oil fields, thanks to which countries with access to its waters have often been drawn into military conflicts with economic overtones. The oil wealth of the Persian Gulf cannot be overestimated. However, the theme of our site is marine life and sharks, so we will not dwell on this treasure. I would just like to dwell a little on the status of the bay.
Some geographers insist that it would be more correct to call the Persian Gulf inland sea Indian Ocean. Those who have read the first articles of this section of the site (with definitions) will understand that such metamorphoses are not of decisive importance, since many of the definitions are conditional. Hudson Bay is also a sea, although we are accustomed to its usual status as a bay.
For the most part, the coastline is indented, with many small bays, bays, capes and alluvial spits. Among the largest gulfs are the Gulf of Aden, through which communication with the Red Sea is established, and the Gulf of Oman, which connects the sea with the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
The relief of the coast ranges from high rocky to low-lying deltaic. The sea is not rich in islands, only along coastline there are small islands of volcanic origin, coral atolls and areas detached from land.
The bottom topography is flat, the soil consists of biogenic silts, and near the coast of the mainland - terrigenous sediments. Coral islands and atolls are covered with almost white coral sand. Currents are seasonal and change their direction throughout the year.
Quite large tides, reaching over 5 meters in height. Since the sea is located in warm climatic zones, surface water temperature exceeds 20 degrees C all year round, reaching 29 degrees C in some places in the summer.
The Arabian-Indian underwater ridge, stretching from the eastern tip of the Somali Peninsula (Africa) to the southeast and the Maldives (south of the Hindustan Peninsula), divides the sea into two deep-sea basins - the Arabian (depth more than 5300 m) and the Somali to the south -west (up to 4600 m). The bottom of the basins is covered with red clay.
The shelf zone of the Arabian Sea occupies from 120 km (off the coast of Hindustan Island) to 200 km off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula. On the shelf area owned by India there are large oil deposits (Gulf of Cambay). The shelf zone of the Arabian Sea is mainly used for fishing.
In terms of settlement by various life forms, the Arabian Sea is one of the most productive places in the World Ocean. There are almost 100 species of commercial fish alone. Among them: tuna, marlin, sardines, sailfish, mackerel. Fishing for crustaceans - shrimp, crabs, lobsters - is important.
A significant part of the coast of the Arabian Sea is inhabited by corals. Many bottom invertebrates, mollusks, crustaceans and fish thrive in coral thickets. Here you can find clownfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, triggerfish, lionfish, gobies, flying fish, sardinella, herring, tuna, swordfish, sailfish and many other fish. In terms of the abundance of marine animal species, the Aral Sea is not much inferior to the Red Sea. The flora of the sea is much poorer than its fauna. Here, only in some places you can see thickets of coastal algae - red, brown, kelp.
Found in local waters several types of sharks, including those classified as dangerous to humans species. Here you can find tiger shark, mako, blue shark, gray blunt-nosed (bull) shark, and many species of reef predators.
According to some sources (Complete Encyclopedia underwater world, Moscow, 2010), sharks in the waters of the Arabian Sea behave very modestly, it is very difficult to even approach them, because when they see a person, predators try to hide. 
Man, on the contrary, destroys these fish for the sake of fins, meat and other valuable parts. Shark fins are sold to local restaurants at incredible prices - up to $200 per kilogram. It is clear that such demand and prices give rise to poaching, as a result of which the populations of these fish sharply decrease in number. However, the Arabian Sea is not the only example of such barbaric destruction of sharks.
Of great interest to sports anglers is such an object as the giant grouper from the Serranidae family. This huge (2.5 m, 400 kg) fish lives in coastal waters and leads a solitary lifestyle, hunting lobsters, stingrays, young turtles and small fish. Adult groupers, due to their large size, have almost no natural enemies, so they are clumsy and slow. Divers love to swim and take pictures in the company of this good-natured giant. However, caution should be exercised when interacting with a gooper.
There were cases when he attacked overly annoying fans, inflicting serious and even fatal wounds.
Here we will finish the story about the amazing Aral Sea and head to its eastern neighbor -
The Arabian Sea is located between the Arabian and Hindustan peninsulas. Its area is 3683 thousand km2 and most of The sea is one of the oceanic depressions of the Indian Ocean. Therefore, the Arabian Sea is very deep, its average depth is 2734 m, and the maximum is 5203 m. There are large bays in the Arabian Sea - the Gulf of Aden, which through a strait connects the Arabian and Red Seas, the Gulf of Oman and, connected to it by the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf. Fishing is developed in the Arabian Sea - there are more than 100 species of commercial fish, including sardines, tuna, marlin, sailfish, and mackerel.
Fishing for shrimp, crabs and lobsters is important. Several species of sharks are found in local waters, including mako, blacktip, tiger, blue and tiptoe sharks. Even when swimming into shallow waters, these sharks, as a rule, do not attack people; on the contrary, when meeting a person they try to retreat quickly. People here are much more dangerous for sharks, because for the sake of edible fins, which are exported, sharks are hunted in huge quantities in the Arabian Sea.
Fans of sport fishing or scuba diving are familiar with another inhabitant of the local waters - the giant grouper from the serranidae family. This huge (2.5 m, 400 kg) fish lives in warm coastal waters and leads a solitary lifestyle, hunting lobsters, crabs, rays, young turtles and various fish. Groupers stick to their territory, which always has some kind of cave or crevice large enough for the grouper to hide there to rest. Due to their impressive size, adult groupers have no enemies in nature, so they are clumsy and slow. It is the slowness of the grouper that makes it such a desirable prey for amateur fishermen, and divers love to swim next to the good-natured giant. True, as with any wild animal, you need to be on guard with grouper - there have been cases when these fish attacked scuba divers and inflicted serious and even fatal wounds.
The Arabian Sea is home to a unique representative of the herring family - dorab. This largest of all herrings (I m, 4 kg) does not form large schools, like other herrings, but is found alone or in small groups. Dorabs are also called toothy herring or wolf herring for their two large, protruding upper teeth, reminiscent of wolf fangs. Such teeth indicate that the dorab is an active predator - and indeed, unlike most herrings, which feed on plankton, the dorab hunt fish and crustaceans. Dorab is a fairly common fish, and its meat has excellent taste, so local residents often deliver wolf herrings to their table.
The largest gulfs are: in the west, the Gulf of Aden, connecting to the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and in the northwest, the Gulf of Oman, connecting to the Persian Gulf. On the coast of India, the largest ones are the Gulf of Cambay and the Gulf of Kutch.
Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen, Oman, Iran, Pakistan, India and the Maldives are located on the shores of the Arabian Sea. Largest cities- Karachi, Aden, Muscat, Mumbai, Kochi, etc.
Description of boundaries
- In the West. Eastern border of the Gulf of Aden [Meridian of Cape Guardafui (Ras Asir, 51°16′ E)].
- In the north. A line connecting Cape Al Hadd, the eastern point of the Arabian Peninsula (22°32′ N), and Cape Jiwani (61°43′ E) on the coast of Pakistan.
- On South. A line drawn from the southernmost point of Addu Atoll (Maldives) to the extreme eastern point Cape Ras Hafun (Africa, 10°26′ N).
- In the east. Western limit of the Laccadive Sea [Line drawn from Sadashivgad to west coast India ( 14°48′ N. w. 74°07′ E. d. / 14.800° N. w. 74.117° E. d. / 14.800; 74.117 (G) (I)) to the island of Kora-Divkh ( 13°42′ N. w. 72°10′ E. d. / 13.700° N. w. 72.167° E. d. / 13.700; 72.167 (G) (I)) and then down along the western side of the Laccadive and Maldives Islands to the extreme southern point Addu Atoll consisting of Maldives].
Name
The Arabian Sea was known to European and Arab sailors under different names: Eritrean Sea , Sindhu sea(Sindhu Sagar) Green sea, Sea of Oman, Persian Sea And Indo-Arab Sea .
Oceanography
Bottom structure
The Murray Range also extends southwest to the Carlsberg Range. The Indian shelf stretches along the Arabian coast in a narrow strip. The bottom is covered with sand, mainly of terrigenous or aeolian origin. The shelf is approximately 37 km across in the Gulf of Aden at the entrance to the Red Sea, where it is cut by a channel more than 183 m deep.
The continental slope to a depth of 2750 m is covered with terrigenous sediments, the basins are covered with red clay. The bottom topography was formed in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic, a significant part - in the Pliocene.
Physical oceanography
Tides are irregular, semidiurnal, height up to 5.1 m. Surface currents are directed to the west in winter and east in summer. The temperature of the surface layer of water in winter is +22-+27 °C, in summer +23-+28 °C with a maximum of +29 °C in May. Salinity during the southwest monsoon is less than 35 ‰, during the northeast monsoon it is more than 36 ‰. Under the influence of the deep waters of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf in the Arabian Sea at a depth of up to 1500 m, the temperature is above +5 °C, the salinity exceeds 35 ‰.
Islands
There are several large islands in the Arabian Sea. The largest are Socotra (Yemen), Masirah (Oman), Astola (Pakistan).
Island Astola, also known as Jezira Haft Talar(Urdu جزیرہ ہفت تلار
) or "Island of the Seven Mountains" - small desert island at the northern edge of the Arabian Sea in territorial waters Pakistan. it is a popular ecotourism destination. Sea turtle observation site. These people live here rare species like the Green Sea Turtle ( Chelonia mydas) and bissa ( Eretmochelys imbracata), laying eggs on the beach and cliffs. The island is home to endemic local vipers ( Echis carinatus astolae).
Socotra(Arabic: سُقُطْرَى Suquṭra) - largest island. part of a small archipelago of four islands. Located 240 km from the Horn of Africa and 380 km south of the Arabian Peninsula. A third of the plants found on the island grow only here.
Masira(Arabic: مصيرة) - island off east coast Oman. Key industries are fishing and traditional textile production. Previously, shipbuilding was important. The rugged surface of the island and adjacent coastline has caused many shipwrecks. Dry climate and salty sea water ensured the safety of the dhow wrecks. The area of the island is very productive; any hard surface in coastal waters (barrel engines) is immediately overgrown with representatives of the local fauna.
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Notes
Excerpt describing the Arabian Sea
- Believe, prince, that a mother’s heart will never forget what you did for us.“I’m glad that I could do something pleasant for you, my dear Anna Mikhailovna,” said Prince Vasily, straightening his frill and in his gesture and voice showing here, in Moscow, in front of the patronized Anna Mikhailovna, even greater importance than in St. Petersburg, at Annette’s evening Scherer.
“Try to serve well and be worthy,” he added, turning sternly to Boris. - I'm glad... Are you here on vacation? – he dictated in his dispassionate tone.
“I’m waiting for an order, your Excellency, to go to a new destination,” answered Boris, showing neither annoyance at the prince’s harsh tone, nor a desire to engage in conversation, but so calmly and respectfully that the prince looked at him intently.
- Do you live with your mother?
“I live with Countess Rostova,” said Boris, adding again: “Your Excellency.”
“This is the Ilya Rostov who married Nathalie Shinshina,” said Anna Mikhailovna.
“I know, I know,” said Prince Vasily in his monotonous voice. – Je n"ai jamais pu concevoir, comment Nathalieie s"est decidee a epouser cet ours mal – leche l Un personnage completement stupide et ridicule.Et joueur a ce qu"on dit. [I could never understand how Natalie decided to come out marry this dirty bear. A completely stupid and ridiculous person. And a player, too, they say.]
“Mais tres brave homme, mon prince,” Anna Mikhailovna remarked, smiling touchingly, as if she knew that Count Rostov deserved such an opinion, but asked to have pity on the poor old man. – What do the doctors say? - asked the princess, after a short silence and again expressing great sadness on her tear-stained face.
“There is little hope,” said the prince.
“And I really wanted to thank my uncle again for all his good deeds to both me and Bora.” C"est son filleuil, [This is his godson," she added in such a tone, as if this news should have greatly pleased Prince Vasily.
Prince Vasily thought and winced. Anna Mikhailovna realized that he was afraid to find in her a rival in the will of Count Bezukhy. She hastened to reassure him.
“If it weren’t for my true love and devotion to my uncle,” she said, pronouncing this word with particular confidence and carelessness: “I know his character, noble, direct, but he has only the princesses with him... They are still young...” She bowed her head and she added in a whisper: “Did he fulfill his last duty, prince?” How precious are these last minutes! After all, it can’t be worse; it needs to be cooked if it is that bad. We women, Prince,” she smiled tenderly, “always know how to say these things.” It is necessary to see him. No matter how hard it was for me, I was already used to suffering.
The prince apparently understood, and understood, as he did at the evening at Annette Scherer’s, that it was difficult to get rid of Anna Mikhailovna.
“Wouldn’t this meeting be difficult for him, here Anna Mikhailovna,” he said. - Let's wait until evening, the doctors promised a crisis.
“But you can’t wait, Prince, at these moments.” Pensez, il va du salut de son ame... Ah! c"est terrible, les devoirs d"un chretien... [Think, it’s about saving his soul! Oh! this is terrible, the duty of a Christian...]
A door opened from the inner rooms, and one of the count's princesses, the count's nieces, entered, with a gloomy and cold face and a strikingly disproportionate long waist to her legs.
Prince Vasily turned to her.
- Well, what is he?
- All the same. And as you wish, this noise... - said the princess, looking around Anna Mikhailovna as if she were a stranger.
“Ah, chere, je ne vous reconnaissais pas, [Ah, dear, I didn’t recognize you,” Anna Mikhailovna said with a happy smile, walking up to the count’s niece with a light amble. “Je viens d"arriver et je suis a vous pour vous aider a soigner mon oncle. J'imagine, combien vous avez souffert, [I came to help you follow your uncle. I can imagine how you suffered," she added, with participation rolling my eyes.
The princess did not answer anything, did not even smile, and immediately left. Anna Mikhailovna took off her gloves and, in the position she had won, sat down on a chair, inviting Prince Vasily to sit next to her.
- Boris! “- she said to her son and smiled, “I’ll go to the count, to my uncle, and you go to Pierre, mon ami, in the meantime, and don’t forget to give him the invitation from the Rostovs.” They call him to dinner. I think he won't go? - she turned to the prince.
“On the contrary,” said the prince, apparently out of sorts. – Je serais tres content si vous me debarrassez de ce jeune homme... [I would be very glad if you saved me from this young man...] Sits here. The Count never asked about him.
He shrugged. The waiter led the young man down and up another staircase to Pyotr Kirillovich.
Pierre never had time to choose a career for himself in St. Petersburg and, indeed, was exiled to Moscow for rioting. The story told by Count Rostov was true. Pierre participated in tying up the policeman with the bear. He arrived a few days ago and stayed, as always, at his father's house. Although he assumed that his story was already known in Moscow, and that the ladies surrounding his father, who were always unkind to him, would take advantage of this opportunity to irritate the count, he still went after his father’s half on the day of his arrival. Entering the drawing room, the usual abode of the princesses, he greeted the ladies who were sitting at the embroidery frame and behind a book, which one of them was reading aloud. There were three of them. The eldest, clean, long-waisted, stern girl, the same one who came out to Anna Mikhailovna, was reading; the younger ones, both ruddy and pretty, differing from each other only in that one had a mole above her lip, which made her very beautiful, were sewing in a hoop. Pierre was greeted as if he were dead or plagued. The eldest princess interrupted her reading and silently looked at him with frightened eyes; the youngest, without a mole, assumed exactly the same expression; the smallest one, with a mole, of a cheerful and giggling character, bent over the embroidery frame to hide a smile, probably caused by the upcoming scene, the funnyness of which she foresaw. She pulled the hair down and bent down, as if she was sorting out the patterns and could hardly restrain herself from laughing.
“Bonjour, ma cousine,” said Pierre. – Vous ne me hesonnaissez pas? [Hello, cousin. Don't you recognize me?]
“I recognize you too well, too well.”
– How is the count’s health? Can I see him? – Pierre asked awkwardly, as always, but not embarrassed.
– The Count is suffering both physically and morally, and it seems that you took care to cause him more moral suffering.
-Can I see the count? - Pierre repeated.
- Hm!.. If you want to kill him, completely kill him, then you can see. Olga, go and see if the broth is ready for your uncle, it’s time soon,” she added, showing Pierre that they were busy and busy calming his father down, while he was obviously busy only upsetting him.
Olga left. Pierre stood, looked at the sisters and, bowing, said:
- So I’ll go to my place. When it is possible, you tell me.
He went out, and the ringing but quiet laughter of the sister with the mole was heard behind him.
The next day, Prince Vasily arrived and settled in the count's house. He called Pierre to him and told him:
– Mon cher, si vous vous conduisez ici, comme a Petersbourg, vous finirez tres mal; c"est tout ce que je vous dis. [My dear, if you behave here as in St. Petersburg, you will end very badly; I have nothing more to tell you.] The Count is very, very sick: you don’t need to see him at all.
Since then, Pierre was not disturbed, and he spent the whole day alone upstairs in his room.
While Boris entered his room, Pierre was walking around his room, occasionally stopping in the corners, making threatening gestures towards the wall, as if piercing an invisible enemy with a sword, and looking sternly over his glasses and then starting his walk again, uttering unclear words, shaking shoulders and arms outstretched.
The climate of the Hindustan Peninsula has a significant influence on the climate of the Arabian Sea. The season of the northeast monsoons, which bring clear weather at sea, lasts from November to April, followed by the humid and cloudy period of the summer southwest monsoons. Under their influence, sea currents arise, directed east in summer and west in winter. Warm currents have a beneficial effect on the fauna of the Arabian Sea. Two types of algae grow on the coast of Oman, which serve as food for various types of crustaceans and mollusks. Pelicans and turtles live here.
In some places, the Arabian Sea reaches depths of more than 5,000 meters. Neighboring water areas, for example, are much smaller and life in them is poorer. Most fish are found in the Gulf of Oman and western shores India, near which many species of whales migrate.
The Arabian Sea does not raise the same environmental concerns as the Persian Gulf. But nevertheless, it is included in the number of protected marine biotopes. Waters continue to be polluted by tankers and big amount oil refining companies located on the coast. Sewage from industrial centers such as Mangalore or Mangalore flows into the sea, and environmentalists' protests have so far had no effect.
History and culture
The world's oldest cultures were born on the shores of the Arabian Sea. People settled here and built ports 4-5 thousand years ago. Cities on the shores of Oman, Pakistan, and India traded in expensive goods: silk, velvet, spices and incense. The sea was part of the big trade routes. Since the time of Julius Caesar, several combinations of trade routes passing by water and land have been known, of which the Arabian Sea was an indispensable part. Combined routes combined long desert treks with camel caravans, sailing and the dangers of pirate attacks. These realities of old times formed the basis of many tales of the Arabian Nights.
The Arabs created a trading network that stretched from the Persian Gulf to China. Thanks to her, they organized cultural exchange between civilizations remote from each other. Knowledge of astronomy and a high degree of development of shipping were very useful for the Arabs in their voyages. Since ancient times, sailors used seasonal monsoon winds in the Arabian Sea, which allowed coastal sailing ships- dow - in a certain direction.
The Arabian Sea still has a reputation as an important trading region. Oil tankers carry “black gold” through its waters from the Persian Gulf to Europe, America and the Far East.
general information
Indian Ocean SeaArea: 4,832,000 km2.
Maximum depth: 5803 m.
Countries with shores on the Arabian Sea: India, Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Yemen, Somalia, Maldives.
Largest port cities:(Oman), Karachi (Pakistan), Mumbai (formerly Bombay, India), Aden (Yemen).
Economy
Merchant shipping, oil transportation.
Fishing: tuna, swordfish, southern herring, shrimp, etc.
Tourism.
Climate and weather
Tropical, monsoon. Typhoons are frequent.The temperature of the surface layer of water in winter is +22ºС... +27ºС. in summer +23ºС... +28ºС with a maximum of +29ºС in May.
Attractions
■ Karachi;■ Muscat;
■ Mumbai (Bombay);
■ ;
■ Socotra Island;
■ Laccadive islands center marine species sports
Curious facts
■ Masirah Island (Oman) is an important breeding site for sea turtles.■ The name Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep) literally translates from Sanskrit as “one hundred thousand islands”.
■ Socotra Island is famous for its endemic plants (about 300 species are known). The most interesting of them is the Socotra dragon tree in the form of a huge umbrella. Its red juice was used by ancient people in medicine and as a dye.
■ Since 2004, Somali pirates have been active off the coast of Somalia in the Arabian Sea. Only for 2008-2009. they managed to capture 40 cargo and fishing vessels different countries peace.
