On the diurnal variations of in-situ sea surface temperature (sst) in alexandria Eastern Harbour, Egypt

Abstract

The variability of sea surface temperature (SST) is widely studied due to its large impact on ocean–atmosphere interaction and on the majority of oceanographic events on different scales. SST is also found to influence both weather and climate. The present work may be considered as a fair trial to examine, for the first time, the in-situ SST variation at a specified location in Alexandria, Egypt. The paper investigates the diurnal in-situ SST variations; using 256-day records from Alexandria Eastern Harbour with a quarter-hour temporal resolution. The aim is to describe the general behaviour of the in-situ SST diurnal variation in the Harbour, and to declare the relationship between the air and the sea surface temperatures. Over the period of investigation, the mean in-situ diurnal SST varied between 16.1°C and 30.4°C, with an average of 23.9°C. The daily time series of the in-situ ΔSST in the present study was calculated by subtracting the minimum SST value within the morning time window from the maximum SST value within the afternoon time window. While the lowest ΔSST was 0.0°C, the highest was 2.0°C. Based on the present data set, the mathematical equation, which expresses the relationship between the in-situ diurnal SST and the air temperature in Alexandria Eastern Harbour area, has been generated. © 2013 2013 Taylor and Francis Group LLC.