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.
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