HR: 16:30h
AN: OS44A-03    [Abstracts]
TI: An Overview of Sea Surface Salinity Variability in the South Pacific Convergence Zone
AU: * Delcroix, T
EM: thierry.delcroix@ird.fr
AF: LEGOS / IRD , UMR5566, 14, avenue Ed. Belin, Toulouse, 31400, France
AU: Cravatte, S
EM: sophie.cravatte@ird.fr
AF: LEGOS / IRD , UMR5566, 14, avenue Ed. Belin, Toulouse, 31400, France
AU: Corrège, T
EM: t.correge@epoc.u-bordeaux1.fr
AF: Bordeaux Univ., UMR 5805, Avenue des Facultés, Talence, 33405, France
AU: Juillet-Leclerc, A
EM: Anne.Juillet-Leclerc@lsce.cnrs-gif.fr
AF: LSCE / IPSL, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif sur Yvette, 91191, France
AU: Gouriou, Y
EM: Yves.Gouriou@ird.fr
AF: IRD, Centre Océanologique de Bretagne, Plouzane, 29270, France
AU: McPhaden, M J
EM: Michael.J.Mcphaden@noaa.gov
AF: NOAA / PMEL, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, United States
AB: Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) includes relevant information about climate change and the earth's water cycle at different time and space scales. Its importance for the climate motivated the development of existing in situ observing systems and future dedicated satellite missions (SMOS and Aquarius) to enhance global observations. In this presentation, we present an overview of recent published results obtained from the analysis of SSS data collected from voluntary observing ships and derived from coral skeleton in the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) for the period 1970-2006. Emphasis is on the seasonal cycle, the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, the PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation)-like decadal signal and long-term salinity trends. We first quantify the regional manifestations of these basin scale signals in the SPCZ, and then interpret the signals in terms of changes in precipitation, evaporation and/or horizontal salt advection. The implications of the observed SSS variability regarding SPICE (South PacIfic Ocean Circulation and Climate Experiment) objectives are discussed.
UR: http://www.legos.obs- mip.fr/observations/sss/
DE: 4513 Decadal ocean variability (1616, 1635, 3305, 4215)
DE: 4522 ENSO (4922)
DE: 4900 PALEOCEANOGRAPHY (0473, 3344)
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting