New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
Variability in sea surface temperature around New Zealand from AVHRR images
STEPHEN M. CHISWELL
NIWA - Oceanographic
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric
Research
P.O. Box 14-901, Kilbirnie
Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract Multi-channel Advanced Very-High Resolution
Radiometer (AVHRR) images of sea surface temperature (SST) in the New Zealand
region have been archived since 1989. The first 2 years of data are used to
investigate the variability in sea surface temperature (SST) and its gradients
around New Zealand. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analyses show that the
annual cycle accounts for 92% of the variance of SST, but for less of the
variance in SST gradient. The Southland and Subantarctic Fronts have an annual
modulation in their strengths, accounting for about 20% of their variance;
these modulations are out of phase, with the Southland Front being strongest in
winter. The Subtropical Convergence shows variability that cannot be easily
described by one mode, but appears to migrate meridionally with an annual
period, being furthest north in March.
Keywords satellite; sea surface temperature; fronts;
climatology; AVHRR
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (713K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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