Sea surface temperature development of the Baltic Sea in the period 1990-2004

Abstract

Sea Surface Temperature (SST) maps derived from NOAA weathersatellites for the period 1990-2004 were used to investigateseasonal and inter-annual variations in the Baltic Sea. A comparison between monthly mean SST and <i>in situ</i> measurements at the MARNET station "Arkona Sea" showed goodagreement with differences in July and August. Monthly means reflect strong seasonal and inter-annualvariations. The yearly means show a slight positive trend withan increase of 0.8 K in 15 years. In particular, summer and autumnmonths contribute to this positive trend, with stronger trendsin the northern than in the southern Baltic. The winters arecharacterised by a slightly negative trend. The winter minimumSST in the Arkona Sea correlates best with the WIBIX climateindex derived for the Baltic region.