High-resolution data on mesoscale dynamics of the Caspian Sea upper layer, obtained in a numerical reconstruction

Mesoscale dynamics accounts for a significant part of the ocean kinetic energy and plays a crucial role in its mixing. The presented data were generated by numerical simulation and reveal mesoscale patterns of circulation of the upper 15-m layer of the Caspian Sea. The currents in 2003–2005 are reconstructed in an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model SZ-COMPAS using a realistic forcing. The data arrays have a very high resolution: ∼2 km in space and 4 hours in time. This is sufficient to resolve most of mesoscale features of the sea dynamics as well as a wide range of their temporal spectrum, including inertial oscillations (with period ∼18 hours), synoptic and seasonal variability. The dataset includes: (1) raw model data on the velocity vector fields on three top-layer horizons (surface, 7 m, and 15 m) in 2003, (2) the same fields averaged over every month in 2003–2005, and (3) two video-files visualizing surface currents in 2003–2005 in which sea salinity is used to trace dynamical structures. The data can be used by marine researchers to explore the Caspian Sea dynamics and its impact on the sea biogeochemical condition.