Remote reemergence areas of winter sea surface temperature anomalies in the North Pacific

Abstract

Taking account of water movement, we detect pairs of ‘formation’ and ‘reemergence’ areas of winter sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the North Pacific, by analyzing various kinds of data sets. Two pairs of formation and reemergence areas are detected. One pair is located in the northern subtropical gyre, and water properties in both the formation and reemergence areas well correspond to those of North Pacific central mode water (NPCMW). Another pair is found in the western to central part of the subtropical gyre. The formation area corresponds well to that of North Pacific subtropical water (NPSTMW), but the reemergence area is remote from the formation area. Examinations on upper ocean current field, trace of temperature anomalies in the subsurface, and change of water properties from the formation area to the reemergence area, clearly indicate that waters with winter SST anomalies move from the formation area to the reemergence area in a year.