Mesoscale variations of sea surface temperature and ocean color patterns at the Mid-Atlantic Bight shelfbreak

Abstract

Concurrent sea surface temperature (SST) and color observations obtained by MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectra-radiometer) provide an excellent opportunity to investigate simultaneous mesoscale variations in SST and surface pigment at the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) shelf-break. Cloud-free MODIS images that clearly reveal mesoscale signals are used to estimate the dominant spatial scales of MAB shelfbreak water properties. Along-shelfbreak decorrelation scales for SST and surface pigment are 45 and 40 km, respectively, whereas the across-shelfbreak scales are much shorter, ranging from 19 km for SST to 25 km for pigment. The shelfbreak SST and surface pigment are generally inversely correlated. Cold (warm) SST corresponds to high (low) pigment concentration. Mesoscale variations account for 30% of the total variance in shelfbreak SST. For the shelfbreak surface pigment, the mesoscale variation is much larger, reaching 60–90% of its total variance.