The response of North Atlantic sea surface temperature to atmospheric forcing processes

• Published in: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
• Main Author: Daly, A. W.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1978
• Subjects: Curl; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/qj.49710444011; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fqj.49710444011; https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/qj.49710444011

Abstract A depth‐integrated heat energy conservation equation is used with input data from three case studies of dissimilar meteorological forcing to provide values for the month‐to‐month change of mean monthly sea surface temperature anomalies. Evaluation of the model is made by comparison of predicted anomaly changes with those observed. The separate contributions of anomalous surface cooling and anomalous advection to the sea temperature anomaly change, give agreement of varying closeness: in all three studies best results are achieved by a combination of these processes; in each case inclusion of a horizontal diffusivity term produces deteriorations over sea temperature anomaly changes based on a combination of anomalous heat loss and advection terms. In regions of significant anomalous windstress curl, neither sea temperature anomaly changes produced in part by advection due to an alternative meridionally directed flow, nor changes otherwise consequent on the associated effects of induced vertical motion, are observed to be consistent with actual changes.