Vertical structure of currents in the upper part of the continental slope of the Black Sea in the Region of Gelendzhik

The results of a joint analysis of the synchronous-profile ensemble of density and current velocity measured using the autonomous moored Aqualog profiler at the Gelendzhik experimental site of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in 2013–2015 are presented. The distribution of probability density of current velocity by directions reveals the presence of two well-pronounced maxima in the southeastern and northwestern sectors at all depths of measurements, which confirms the bimodal direction of the currents in the study site. We consider in detail the vertical structure of the density stratification and the current velocity corresponding to the modes determined from the maximum of the probability density distribution of the current velocity by directions. The averaged profiles of the kinetic, potential, and total energies are given. The results of isopycnic averaging over the entire ensemble of profiles indicate that possible self-similarity exists in the dependence of the vertical distribution of density and kinetic energy.