Abstract

An analysis of high-resolution satellite data on sea surface temperature (SST) and surface wind for 2008-2021 confirmed that the areas of a dramatic SST drop exceeding several degrees per day regularly occur in the northwestern Black Sea and off the western coast of Crimea. These areas are located not only in coastal upwelling zones. Extensive areas of this type are found in the open water areas in the northwestern part of the sea and in the vicinity of the western large-scale cyclonic gyre. A reason for the formation of such areas during the period of the stable vertical thermal stratification in the upper layer is the strengthening of wind in the atmospheric surface layer and the intensification of cyclonic vorticity. This leads to the generation of upward motions, additional turbulent mixing in the upper sea layer, and, as a consequence, the SST drop within a few days after the passage of the cyclone over the sea. This mechanism is especially effective in the case of slowly moving cyclones in the presence of a blocking or a high-pressure ridge northeast of the Black Sea region.

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