Decadal Variability of Temperature and Salinity in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean
Abstract
There are only a few regions in the World Ocean where the density of observations collected over the past 60 years is sufficient for reliable data mapping with spatial resolutions finer than one-degree. The Northwest Atlantic basin is one such regions where a spatial resolution of gridded temperature and salinity fields, comparable to those generated by eddy-resolving numerical models of ocean circulation, has recently becomes available. Using the new high-resolution Northwest Atlantic Regional Climatology, built on quarter-degree and one-tenth-degree resolution fields, we analyzed decadal variability and trends of temperature and salinity over 60 years in the Northwest Atlantic, and two 30-year ocean climates of 1955-1984 and 1985-2012 to evaluate the oceanic climate shift in this region. The 30-year climate shift is demonstrated using an innovative 3-D visualization of temperature and salinity. Spatial and temporal variability of heat accumulation found in previous research of the entire North Atlantic Ocean persists in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Salinity changes between two 30-year climates were also computed and are discussed.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AGUFM.A53D2282M
- Keywords:
-
- 3305 Climate change and variability;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 3339 Ocean/atmosphere interactions;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 4504 Air/sea interactions;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL;
- 4513 Decadal ocean variability;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL