CONTINENTAL SHELF RESEARCH, vol.23, no.10, pp.957-970, 2003 (SCI-Expanded)
The purpose of this study is to examine the physical features of the Izmir Bay based on data sets obtained from longterm monitoring. Due to the waste water discharge of more than 3 millon inhabitants of Izmir city and industrial inputs. Izmir Bay is one of the most polluted coastal areas in the Turkey. The residence time of bio-chemical parameters in the Bay and the exchange between Izmir Bay and the Aegean Sea are strongly affected by horizontal and vertical mixing and advection. The distributions of bio-chemical parameters depend not only on the wind-driven circulation in the Bay, but also on the thermohaline-driven or baroclinic circulation. Emphasis is given to the analysis of the seasonal thermohaline structures as well as the circulation system of the Bay. A numerical model (Killworth's Ocean Model) is used to calculate the general circulation patterns of the Izmir Bay. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.