Spatial and temporal variability of the surface permittivity of Persian Gulf water at the C-band

• The permittivity of the water of Persian Gulf has been computed.
• The Persian Gulf is one of the most important waterways in the world.
• The calculations have been done by numerical and experimental models.
• Some of the optical properties of water can be calculated by the permittivity.

A precise knowledge of the complex permittivity of water is essential for microwave remote sensing applications in physical and optical oceanography. In the present work, the spatial and seasonal variability of real and imaginary parts of Persian Gulf permittivity at the C-band (5 GHz), which has not been previously investigated, are computed by a numerical model and an experimental model. The dielectric constant distribution in the Persian Gulf experiences relatively significant seasonal variations and changes by −1.08 during January–July. The spatial variability of both the dielectric constant and loss are weaker in winter and autumn compared to spring and summer due to seasonal changes in the weather and turbulence mixing processes. Lateral stratification of imaginary permittivity is stronger than real permittivity and varies from 31 to 37 during the year with the highest variability in summer.