Estimation of annual heat flux balance at the sea surface from SST (NOAA-Satellite) and ships drift data off southeast Brazil

Ikeda, Yoshimine; Stevenson, Merritt Raymond

doi:10.1590/S0373-55241985000200001

Abstract

The objective of this work is to study the possibility of estimating the heat flux balance at the sea surface from GOSSTCOMP (Global Ocean Sea Surface Temperature Computation) developed by NOAA/NESS, USA, and sea surface current data based from ships drift information obtained from Pilot Charts, published by the Diretoria de Hidrografia e Navegação (DHN, Brazilian Navy). The annual mean value of the heat flux balance at the sea surface off southeast Brazil for 1977, is estimated from data on the balance between the heat transported by the currents and that transported by eddy diffusion for each volume defined as 2º x 2º (Lat. x Long.) square with a constant depth equivalent to an oceanic mixed layer, 100 m thick. Results show several oceanic areas where there are net flows of heat from atmosphere towards the sea surface. In front of Rio de Janeiro the heat flow was downward and up to 70 ly day-1 and is probably related to the upwellirug phenomenon normally occurring in that area. Another coastal area between Lat. 25ºS to 28ºS indicated an downward flow up to 50 ly day-1; and for an area south of Lat. 27ºS, Long. 040ºW - 048ºW an downward flow up to 200 ly day-1, where the transfer was probably due to the cold water of a nortward flux from the Falkland (Malvinas) Current. Results also show several oceanic areas where net flows of heat (of about -100 ly day-1) were toward the atmosphere. In the oceanic areas Lat. 19ºS - 23ºS and Lat. 24ºS - 30ºS, the flows were probably due to the warm water of a southward flux of the Brazil Current. The resulting fluxes from the warm waters of the Brazil Current when compared with those from warm waters of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio, indicate that the Gulf Stream carries about 3.3 times and the Kuroshio 1.7 times more heat than the Brazil Current. These values agree with those of data available on the heat fluxes of the above mentioned Currents calculated by different methods (Budyko, 1974).

Heat balance; Heat transfer; Brazil Current; Falkland (Malvinas) Current; Remote sensing; NOAA satellite; Upwelling; Ocean currents; Eddy diffusion; Mixed layers; Southeast Brazilian coast

ARTIGOS

Estimation of annual heat flux balance at the sea surface from SST (NOAA-Satellite) and ships drift data off southeast Brazil

Yoshimine Ikeda^I; Merritt Raymond Stevenson^II

^IInstituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo (Caixa Postal 9075, 01000 São Paulo, SP)

^IIInstituto de Pesquisas Espaciais (Caixa Postal 515, SP) 12200 São José dos Campos, SP

SYNOPSIS

The objective of this work is to study the possibility of estimating the heat flux balance at the sea surface from GOSSTCOMP (Global Ocean Sea Surface Temperature Computation) developed by NOAA/NESS, USA, and sea surface current data based from ships drift information obtained from Pilot Charts, published by the Diretoria de Hidrografia e Navegação (DHN, Brazilian Navy). The annual mean value of the heat flux balance at the sea surface off southeast Brazil for 1977, is estimated from data on the balance between the heat transported by the currents and that transported by eddy diffusion for each volume defined as 2º x 2º (Lat. x Long.) square with a constant depth equivalent to an oceanic mixed layer, 100 m thick. Results show several oceanic areas where there are net flows of heat from atmosphere towards the sea surface. In front of Rio de Janeiro the heat flow was downward and up to 70 ly day^-1 and is probably related to the upwellirug phenomenon normally occurring in that area. Another coastal area between Lat. 25ºS to 28ºS indicated an downward flow up to 50 ly day^-1; and for an area south of Lat. 27ºS, Long. 040ºW - 048ºW an downward flow up to 200 ly day^-1, where the transfer was probably due to the cold water of a nortward flux from the Falkland (Malvinas) Current. Results also show several oceanic areas where net flows of heat (of about -100 ly day^-1) were toward the atmosphere. In the oceanic areas Lat. 19ºS - 23ºS and Lat. 24ºS - 30ºS, the flows were probably due to the warm water of a southward flux of the Brazil Current. The resulting fluxes from the warm waters of the Brazil Current when compared with those from warm waters of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio, indicate that the Gulf Stream carries about 3.3 times and the Kuroshio 1.7 times more heat than the Brazil Current. These values agree with those of data available on the heat fluxes of the above mentioned Currents calculated by different methods (Budyko, 1974).

Descriptors: Heat balance, Heat transfer, Brazil Current, Falkland (Malvinas) Current, Remote sensing, NOAA satellite, Upwelling, Ocean currents, Eddy diffusion, Mixed layers, Southeast Brazilian coast.

Descritores: Balanço de calor, Transferência de calor, Corrente do Brasil, Corrente de Falkland (Malvinas), Sensoriamento remoto, Satélite NOAA, Ressurgência, Correntes, Difusão turbulenta, Camadas de mistura, Costa sudeste-Brasil.

Full text available only in PDF format.

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Acknowledgements

The basic GOSSTCOMP data were provided at weekly intervals, courtesy of NESS/NOAA. The preparation of this report was supported by the Integrated Project for the Use and Rational Exploitation of the Environment, subproject, Marine Fisheries (FINEP) and Oceanographic Institute of São Paulo University, Brazil. Support for the second author was provided through CNPq/INPE FINEP Contract nº B/54/81/042/00/00 and is acknowledged with appreciation. Our thanks are due to MSc. Nuno Pereira Filho for the guidance in using computer programmes; to Dr Afranio Rubens de Mesquita, Drs Sergio Romano Signorini and Affonso da Silveira Mascarenhas Jr, who made very helpful comments, to Mrs Maria Cecilia Catunda, for the revision of the English manuscript and Osmar Mariano Pires de Campos, for the drawings.

(Received 03-Oct-1983; accepted 23-Aug-1985)

BRASIL, Ministério da Marinha, DHN. 1974. Atlas de Cartas Piloto nş 14.200.
BUDYKO, M. I. 1974. Climate and life. New York, Academic Press.
HASTENRATH, S. & LAMB, P. J. 1978. Heat budge atlas of the tropical Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. Madison, University of Wisconsin Press, 90p.
IKEDA, Y. & STEVENSON, M. 1978. Time series of NOAA-4 sea surface temperature (SST) data. Remote sens. Environm., 7:349-360.
NAVROTSKIY, V. V. 1970. Statistics of the thermocline in the Atlantic Ocean. Oceanol. Acad. Sci. USSR, 11(4):517-524.
OORT, H. A. & VONDER HAAR, T. H. 1976. On the observed annual cycle in the ocean-atmosphere heat balance over the Northern Hemisphere. J. phys. Oceanogr., 6(6):781-800.
PRIVETT, D. W. 1960. The exchange of energy between the atmosphere and the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. Geophys. Mem., Lond., 13(104):1-61.
ROACHE, P. J. 1972. Computacional fluid dynamics. Alburquerque, Hermosa Publ., 446p.
SMIRNOVA, A. I. 1970. Heat transfer by currents in the North Atlantic. Oceanol. Acad. Sci. USSR, 10(1):21-27.
STRONG, A. E. & PRITCHARD, J. A. 1980. Regular monthly mean temperatures of earth's oceans from satellites. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 61(6):553-559.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
04 June 2012
Date of issue
1985

History

Accepted
23 Aug 1985
Received
03 Oct 1983

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] BRASIL, Ministério da Marinha, DHN. 1974. Atlas de Cartas Piloto nş 14.200.

[2] BUDYKO, M. I. 1974. Climate and life. New York, Academic Press.

[3] HASTENRATH, S. & LAMB, P. J. 1978. Heat budge atlas of the tropical Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. Madison, University of Wisconsin Press, 90p.

[4] IKEDA, Y. & STEVENSON, M. 1978. Time series of NOAA-4 sea surface temperature (SST) data. Remote sens. Environm., 7:349-360.

[5] NAVROTSKIY, V. V. 1970. Statistics of the thermocline in the Atlantic Ocean. Oceanol. Acad. Sci. USSR, 11(4):517-524.

[6] OORT, H. A. & VONDER HAAR, T. H. 1976. On the observed annual cycle in the ocean-atmosphere heat balance over the Northern Hemisphere. J. phys. Oceanogr., 6(6):781-800.

[7] PRIVETT, D. W. 1960. The exchange of energy between the atmosphere and the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. Geophys. Mem., Lond., 13(104):1-61.

[8] ROACHE, P. J. 1972. Computacional fluid dynamics. Alburquerque, Hermosa Publ., 446p.

[9] SMIRNOVA, A. I. 1970. Heat transfer by currents in the North Atlantic. Oceanol. Acad. Sci. USSR, 10(1):21-27.

[10] STRONG, A. E. & PRITCHARD, J. A. 1980. Regular monthly mean temperatures of earth's oceans from satellites. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 61(6):553-559.