A study of horizontal sea surface temperature variability

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Author
Butler, William Aubrey
Date
1981-12Advisor
Garwood, Roland W.
Thornton, Edward B.
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Show full item recordAbstract
The horizontal variability of "patchiness" in sea surface temperature
structure is examined on length scales between 0.6 and 76.8 kilometers.
A primary purpose was to test the hypothesis that atmospheric forcing is
a cause of horizontal temperature variance on these length scales. Using
continuous sea surface temperatures acquired in the Central North Pacific
Ocean, spectra were computed for temperature variance. The variability
in these spectra on seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal periods was then
examined and correlated with changes in atmospheric conditions. Important
results found included a seasonal dependence for the patchiness structure,
a negative correlation between surface temperature variance and wind speed
on a synoptic time scale, and a diurnal variability in patchiness that
may be explained by solar insolation and turbulent heat exchange with the
atmosphere. In conclusion, a strong atmospherically controlled temporal
variability in the small scale horizontal sea surface temperature variance
is found and may explain inconsistencies in earlier observational and
theoretical studies.
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