EGU22-13538
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-13538
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Surface salinity maximum in the western boundary of the Tropical Atlantic as observed from SMOS salinity maps

Paola Castellanos1, Estrella Olmedo2, Edmo Campos3, Wlademir Santis3, and Joaquim Dias1
Paola Castellanos et al.
  • 1Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Lisbon, Portugal
  • 2Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Spain
  • 3Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil

The spatiotemporal evolutions of sea surface salinity measurements from the SMOS satellite reveal presence of a local salinity maximum in the northwestern tropical Atlantic beginning in September increasing with a Maximum in October and disappearing in January. Its structure and variability are analyzed through SMOS SSS daily products derived with advanced techniques developed at the Barcelona Expert Centre during 9 years. The results are compared with in situ data along the North Brazil Current (NBC) from the Prediction and Research moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic - PIRATA program. This seasonal tropical SSS maximum, produces the salty signature Northward of the NBC, which is seen as a localized salinity maximum on satellite imagery, in contrast to the fresh signature present in summer-early fall. These changes suggest a change in the composition of water masses that enter in the South Atlantic contributing to an alteration in the dynamics of global circulation.

How to cite: Castellanos, P., Olmedo, E., Campos, E., Santis, W., and Dias, J.: Surface salinity maximum in the western boundary of the Tropical Atlantic as observed from SMOS salinity maps, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-13538, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-13538, 2022.