Evidence for the Antarctic circumpolar wave in the sub-Antarctic during the past 50 years

Sea surface temperatures have been measured at the islands of Marion (47 degrees S, 38 degrees E) from 1949 to 1998 and Gough (40 degrees S, 10 degrees W) from 1956 to 1998. These are some of the longest records of their kind in the sub-Antarctic. Evidence for the passage of the Antarctic circumpola...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Melice, JL., Lutjeharms, JRE, Goosse, Hugues, Fichefet, Thierry, Reason, CJC
Other Authors: UCL - SC/PHYS - Département de physique, UCL - SST/ELI/ELIC - Earth & Climate
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer Geophysical Union 2005
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/39194
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL023361
Description
Summary:Sea surface temperatures have been measured at the islands of Marion (47 degrees S, 38 degrees E) from 1949 to 1998 and Gough (40 degrees S, 10 degrees W) from 1956 to 1998. These are some of the longest records of their kind in the sub-Antarctic. Evidence for the passage of the Antarctic circumpolar wave is apparent at each island, presenting one of the most extended documentation of this phenomenon to date. The highest, negative correlation between the anomalies in each island's sea surface temperature record and the sea ice extent anomalies is observed directly south of each individual island. The sea surface temperature anomalies at Gough lead those at Marion by about one year in average, with mean precession periods of 8.6, 8.9, and 10.4 years in the 60s, 80s and 90s, respectively. These precession periods can be compared to those observed in the sea ice extent anomalies.