Surface temperature and salinity variations between Tasmania and Antarctica, 1993-1999

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
• Main Authors: Chaigneau, Alexis, Morrow, Rosemary
• Other Authors: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Laboratoire d'études en Géophysique et océanographie spatiales (LEGOS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Océan du Large et Variabilité Climatique (OLVAC), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2002
• Subjects: Climate and interannual variability; Arctic and Antarctic oceanography; Fronts and jets; [SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography; Antarctic; Arctic; Austral; Dumont d'Urville; Dumont-d'Urville; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00951703; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00951703/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00951703/file/jgrc8701.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JC000808

International audience Continuous surface temperature and salinity measurements have been collected onboard a supply ship between Tasmania and Dumont D'Urville, Antarctica, as part of the SURVOSTRAL program (Surveillance de l'Océan Austral). The ship makes 6-10 repeat sections per year from October to March for the period 1993-1999, and these measurements form the longest time series of spring and summer variations available in the Southern Ocean. The surface fronts are more clearly indicated with the salinity data than the temperature data. The Levitus climatological and Reynolds satellite monthly mean sea surface temperature data compare well with our surface temperature data: All data sets are dominated by the large-scale seasonal heating cycle with similar amplitude and phase. The SURVOSTRAL monthly mean sea surface salinity data show weak seasonal variations, except in the Antarctic Continental Zone where seasonal sea-ice variations introduce large surface freshwater fluctuations. The Levitus climatological surface salinity has too much seasonal variability and fails to reproduce the sharp fronts, the near-constant salinity in the Antarctic Zone, and the seasonal freshening near Antarctica. This has important consequences for projects that use Levitus climatology data to establish the surface salinity structure and water mass characteristics.