Macroscopic association between mean monthly sea-surface temperature and the overlying winds

Abstract

Two methods for estimating mean monthly anomalies of sea-surface temperature from contemporaneous patterns of mean-sea-level pressure were evaluated for the eastern North Pacific. One method involves the computation of anomalous displacement of surface water masses implied by the drag of surface winds (based on geostrophic computations from sea-level pressure anomalies) and the normal fields of sea-surface temperature. The other method adds to this persistence of the sea temperature taken from the preceding month. The results of statistical tests on a 2-year sample indicate some degree of success for both methods, but appreciable superiority for the latter. Examples are shown. The partial success of such coarse methods holds out the hope for improved specifications and perhaps forecasts of sea-surface temperatures, which would greatly assist in both oceanographic and meteorological studies.