SST & SSS Anomalies

Upper ocean thermohaline properties respond strongly to local atmospheric forcing so a heat wave causes a high sea surface temperature anomaly and a large precipitation excess lowers the upper ocean salinity. The correspondence is not perfect since ocean mixing and circulation makes local properties to be a complex combi- nation of local and remote processes. Sea Surface Temperature (SST) at AGL site is mostly modulated by the large seasonal cycle in sun radiation exhibiting typical values around 12 °C in late winter and 22 °C in summer. A marked daily cycle is noticeable on calm periods. Sea surface salinity presents a much weak seasonal cycle, with lower values around summer after the spring increase in outflow of main French rivers. See Somavilla et.al. 2013 for a detailed analysis of upper ocean temperature and salinity at the AGL site.

  • Water Temperature Anomalies
  • Sea Surface Salinity Anomalies