Heat and Mass Budgets of the Warm Upper Layer of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean in 1979–99

Abstract

Abstract The mass and heat budgets of the warm upper-ocean layer are investigated in the equatorial Atlantic using in situ observations during the period 1979–99, which encompassed a series of warm events in the equatorial Atlantic. The warm water layer is defined as the layer having an in situ temperature higher than 20°C, which is within the core of the equatorial thermocline. The geostrophic transport is calculated by combining gridded temperatures with historical salinity data. The Ekman transport is estimated from observed wind data or model- based wind products. The change in warm water volume is then compared with the horizontal mass convergence, and the residuals are determined. The heat budget of the upper layer is investigated in the same way. Three regions are considered: the equatorial band between 8°N and 8°S to study the meridional redistribution of the warm water and two boxes (western and eastern boxes) to investigate the zonal redistribution of the warm water. Mass and heat budget variabi...