Warm events in the tropical Atlantic

Abstract

Sea surface temperature in the eastern equatorial Atlantic Ocean undergoes anomalous warming events of 1°-2°C every few years. By compositing surface observations from a 28-year record, consistent features in anomalies of SST and winds are identified. By examining a simulation of the ocean circulation during the 1980s, the authors find that the cause of the warm event in 1984 stretches back to the intense trade winds during the summer and fall of 1983. The anomalous warming of 1988 seems to have been largely the result of changes in the equatorial winds during spring of the same year. -from Authors