Estimation of mean monthly anomalies of sea-surface temperature

Abstract

Namias [1965] lias developed and tested two methods for the specification of mean monthly anomalies of sea-surface temperature from corresponding anomalies of the sea-level pressure distribution. My purpose in writing this note is to suggest a relation of the methods to the dynamics of the physical processes by use of a perturbation-type analysis. Let us introduce a rectangular (local) coordinate system with distances and corresponding velocity components toward the east, north, and zenith denoted by positive values of x, y, z, and u, v, w, respectively. The temperature θ is a function of x, y, z, and time t, and is adequately specified through an approximate form of the energy equation: Dθ/Dt=q((1)) where q is the rate of change of temperature from nonadvective processes (eddy conduction, radiation, etc.) and D/Dt represents the individual operator DDt=∂∂t+u∂∂x+v∂∂y+w∂∂zThe local rate of change of temperature is determined from a rearrangement of (1): ∂θ∂t=−u∂θ∂x−v∂θ∂y−w∂θ∂z+q((2))