Variabilidad de la temperatura superficial del mar, identificación de surgencias costeras y su relevancia en un área marina costera protegida del desierto de Atacama, Chile

Abstract

In the coastal zone of the Atacama Region, Chile, through satellite images the variability of the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and its anomalies were studied. To estimate the coastal upwelling activity, the Ekman transport was used and since the study area is near the northern limit of the subtropical convergence, with the above mentioned data an analysis was performed on the homogeneity of the whole area. The analysis were done for a period including three consecutive years, which present different oceanic and atmospheric conditions, a cold event "La Niña 1996-97" and a warm event "El Niño 1997-98". Conclusions show that although the whole area follows seasonal and inter annual similar trends, there are zones in which the variability of the SST, its anomalies and the Ekman transport are different. As the Ekman transport used is a global index, a local index and a digital method to detect upwelling foci are proposed.