Surface Salinity Fluctuations Between 1956 and 1973 in the Western South Pacific Ocean

Abstract

For the western South Pacific Ocean, the 1956–73 surface salinity is compared with the rainfall and wind information along the 180° meridian. On the equator, short periods of low salinity are associated with strong rainfall and, south of 10°S, high salinity is associated with low rainfall, features recognized as abnormal; high salinity on the equator is associated with low rainfall and with east wind sustaining upwelling; low salinity, between 10 and 18°S, is associated with strong rainfall and with the presence of the intertropical convergence zone. Evidently, local rainfall and winds have a major influence on sea surface salinity in both normal and abnormal situations.