National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
United States Department of Commerce


 

FY 1990

On the relationship between winds and upper ocean temperature variability in the western equatorial Pacific

McPhaden, M.J.

In Proceedings of the Western Pacific International Meeting and Workshop on TOGA COARE, ORSTOM, Nouméa, New Caledonia, 24–30 May 1989, 283–290 (1989)


In this study we examine the relationship between winds and upper ocean temperature variability using data from an equatorial mooring at 0°, 165°E. The analysis focuses primarily on daily to monthly time scale variations during 1986 and 1987 at the height of the 1986-87 El Niño/Southern Oscillation event. The period is one of high mean sea surface temperatures (29°C) and frequent outbreaks of westerly winds. We infer that in general wind-driven vertical advection and entrainment from the thermocline are not likely to be important processes affecting surface temperatures in the western equatorial Pacific. Conversely, we conclude that variations in evaporative cooling may account for a significant percentage of the observed surface layer temperature variance during the study period.




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