Tides in the Mediterranean and Adjacent Seas 



413 



should not be neglected, especially in the Gulf of Suez, which influences react 

 on the tides in the Red Sea. This can cause a shift in the phases which, al- 

 though small, should not be ignored for such computation as pointed out by 

 Defant (1928, p. 274). 



11. The Tides of the Persian Gulf 



In considering the tides in this area, we should consider the Persian Gulf, 

 the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman as a unity. Their orographical 

 conditions are quite intricate, because the longitudinal axis of the area of 



Table 56. Tidal data at spring tide in the Persian Gulf 

 and Narrows of Hormuz and in the Gulf of Oman 



oscillation must be considered as a canal with two nicks in it. This circum- 

 stance, in fact has hardly any effect on the co-oscillating tides, but all the 

 more on the independent tides, where the phase of the tide-generating force 

 depends upon the longitudinal direction of the basin. There is still another 

 reason for which the formation of the tide in the Persian Gulf will differ 

 from that in the Red Sea, which has a more simple configuration. The Persian 

 Gulf, at its entrance, has a cross-section of 40 km 2 in the Strait of Hormuz, 

 whereas the Red Sea has as its entrance (Bab el Mandeb) a cross-section 

 of 1-7 km 2 . But the volume of water of the Persian Gulf is only 5910 km 3 , 

 whereas in the Red Sea this volume is 223,810 km 3 . Mean depth of the Gulf 

 is 131 ft (40 m), against 1571 ft (476 m) in the Red Sea. Therefore, the large 

 incoming tidal energy will cause considerable tide ranges. 



For the entire area we have only the harmonic constants of two harbours 

 (Masgat in the Gulf of Oman and Bushire inside the Persian Gulf). Then 

 for a relatively large number of their localities we know the vulgar establish- 

 ment and the ranges at spring tide from the tide tables. They permit only 



