Tropical Atlantic salinity variability: New insights from SMOS
Tropical Atlantic salinity variability: New insights from SMOS
Observations from the SMOS satellite are used to reveal new aspects of Tropical Atlantic sea surface salinity (SSS) variability. Over an annual cycle, the variability is dominated by eastern and western basin SSS “poles,” with seasonal ranges up to 6.5 pss (practical salinity scale), that vary out of phase by 6 months and largely compensate each other. A much smaller SSS range (0.08 pss) is observed for the region as a whole. The dominant processes controlling SSS variability are investigated using GPCPv2.2 precipitation (P), OAFlux evaporation (E), and Dai and Trenberth river flow (R) data sets. For the western pole, SSS varies in phase with P and lags R by 1–2 months; a more complex relationship holds for the eastern pole. The synthesis of novel satellite SSS data with E, P, and R enables a new approach to determining variability in Tropical freshwater fluxes and its potential impacts on the Atlantic ocean circulation.
Sea surface salinity, SMOS, Freshwater fluxes, Tropical Atlantic, Seasonal variability, River runoff
2143-2147
Tzortzi, E.
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Josey, S.A.
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Srokosz, M.
1e0442ce-679f-43f2-8fe4-9a0f0174d483
Gommenginger, C.
f0db32be-34bb-44da-944b-c6b206ca4143
28 May 2013
Tzortzi, E.
8f70c6da-e897-40b3-b20e-6d0aba9cf153
Josey, S.A.
2252ab7f-5cd2-49fd-a951-aece44553d93
Srokosz, M.
1e0442ce-679f-43f2-8fe4-9a0f0174d483
Gommenginger, C.
f0db32be-34bb-44da-944b-c6b206ca4143
Tzortzi, E., Josey, S.A., Srokosz, M. and Gommenginger, C.
(2013)
Tropical Atlantic salinity variability: New insights from SMOS.
Geophysical Research Letters, 40 (10), .
(doi:10.1002/grl.50225).
Abstract
Observations from the SMOS satellite are used to reveal new aspects of Tropical Atlantic sea surface salinity (SSS) variability. Over an annual cycle, the variability is dominated by eastern and western basin SSS “poles,” with seasonal ranges up to 6.5 pss (practical salinity scale), that vary out of phase by 6 months and largely compensate each other. A much smaller SSS range (0.08 pss) is observed for the region as a whole. The dominant processes controlling SSS variability are investigated using GPCPv2.2 precipitation (P), OAFlux evaporation (E), and Dai and Trenberth river flow (R) data sets. For the western pole, SSS varies in phase with P and lags R by 1–2 months; a more complex relationship holds for the eastern pole. The synthesis of novel satellite SSS data with E, P, and R enables a new approach to determining variability in Tropical freshwater fluxes and its potential impacts on the Atlantic ocean circulation.
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grl50225_Tzortzi.pdf
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: May 2013
Published date: 28 May 2013
Keywords:
Sea surface salinity, SMOS, Freshwater fluxes, Tropical Atlantic, Seasonal variability, River runoff
Organisations:
Marine Systems Modelling, Marine Physics and Ocean Climate
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 354088
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/354088
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: f7bb9632-fa97-42a6-b425-009c5e10afc7
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Date deposited: 28 Jun 2013 13:58
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 14:13
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Contributors
Author:
E. Tzortzi
Author:
S.A. Josey
Author:
M. Srokosz
Author:
C. Gommenginger
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