Seasonal variability of mixed layer depth from Argo floats in the central Red Sea

Argo floats are one of the eminent ocean observation systems which retrieve frequent measurements of temperature and salinity profiles in the remote marine environment and provide vital information about the world ocean with or without direct access to the human. The Argo floats available in the Red Sea are not well explored by the research community so far. In the present study, the temperature and salinity data from two Argo floats available in the central Red Sea for a period of 2 years are used to examine the mixed layer depth variability in the region. The mixed layer in the region is maximum during February associated with a decrease in static stability and shallowest during August due to an increase in static stability. A noticeable difference is observed in the existing mixed layer structure by the presence of eddies. The analysis of monthly mean thermal and haline structure showed that the warming of the surface layer is intense from March to August followed by cooling from September to February. The surface layer salinity increased from May to October and decreased in the following months. A noticeable east-west difference is observed in the thermal and haline structure, where the eastern side of the region is warmer by ~0.3 °C and less saline by ~0.1 PSU.