On the variability of winds, sea surface temperature, and surface layer heat content in the western equatorial Pacific

1991 ◽  
Vol 96 (S01) ◽  
pp. 3331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. McPhaden ◽  
Stanley P. Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Surface Layer ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Heat Content ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Western Equatorial Pacific

Sea Surface Temperature of the Western Equatorial Pacific Ocean during the Younger Dryas

1996 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Thunell ◽  
Qingmin Miao
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Equatorial Pacific Ocean ◽  
Sample Spacing ◽  
Winter Temperatures ◽  
Western Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Climatic Cooling

High resolution (∼200 yr sample spacing) records of sea surface temperature for the past 15,000 yr have been inferred from planktonic foraminiferal assemblages in a sediment core from the South China Sea. Although the assemblages imply a large glacial-to-interglacial temperature change (∼7°C for winter temperatures), they give no indication of a cooling during Younger Dryas time. This suggests that the Younger Dryas increase in δ18O observed in cores from the western equatorial Pacific is not due to a climatic cooling but rather to a change in the isotopic composition of the oceans.

scholarly journals Variability of Diurnal Sea Surface Temperature during Short Term and High SST Event in the Western Equatorial Pacific as Revealed by Satellite Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3230
Author(s):  
Anindya Wirasatriya ◽  
Kohtaro Hosoda ◽  
Joga Dharma Setiawan ◽  
R. Dwi Susanto
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Occurrence Rate ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Western Equatorial Pacific ◽  
The Western Pacific

Near-surface diurnal warming is an important process in the climate system, driving exchanges of water vapor and heat between the ocean and the atmosphere. The occurrence of the hot event (HE) is associated with the high diurnal sea surface temperature amplitude (δSST), which is defined as the difference between daily maximum and minimum sea surface temperature (SST). However, previous studies still show some inconsistency for the area of HE occurrence and high δSST. The present study produces global δSST data based on the SST, sea surface wind data derived from microwave radiometers, and solar radiation data obtained from visible/infrared radiometers. The value of δSSTs are estimated and validated over tropical oceans and then used for investigating HE in the western equatorial Pacific. A three-way error analysis was conducted using in situ mooring buoy arrays and geostationary SST measurements by the Himawari-8 and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). The standard deviation error of daily and 10-day validation is around 0.3 °C and 0.14–0.19 °C, respectively. Our case study in the western Pacific (from 110°E to 150°W) shows that the area of HE occurrence coincided well with the area of high δSST. Climatological analysis shows that the collocated area between high occurrence rate of HE and high δSST, which coincides with the western Pacific warm pool region in all seasons. Thus, this study provides more persuasive evidence of the relation between HE occurrence and high δSST.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of the Simulated Annual Cycle of Sea Surface Temperature in the Equatorial Pacific to Sunlight Penetration

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1932-1950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin K. Schneider ◽  
Zhengxin Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Wind Stress ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Mixed Layer Depth ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Western Equatorial Pacific

Abstract The annual cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial Pacific is compared for two simulations with a coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model. The simulations differ only in the optical properties of the ocean: sunlight penetrates below the topmost layer of the ocean model in one case but is completely absorbed in the top layer in the other. The simulation without the sunlight penetration produces an unrealistic annual cycle of SST with a strong semiannual component in the equatorial Pacific, whereas the simulation with sunlight penetration is more realistic. The change in the character of the annual cycle results from an increase in the effective heat capacity of the ocean associated with an increase in the depth of the mixed layer directly forced by the sunlight penetration. This produces a smaller amplitude of the annual cycle of SST at latitudes close to but off the equator. The zone of intense tropical convection then remains closer to the equator, leading to a reduced semiannual cycle of zonal wind stress at the equator. The reduction in the unrealistic semiannual wind stress forcing leads to a more realistic annual cycle in SST. The simulation of the annual mean SST is also improved by the inclusion of the sunlight penetration, with a better simulation of the warm pool in the western equatorial Pacific and associated improvements in the atmospheric circulation. This improvement is also attributed to the increase in the mixed layer depth, which changes the ocean heat flux in the western equatorial Pacific by reducing the sensitivity of SST to upwelling.

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