SST T S Diagram

Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
&
T-S Diagram
Introduction
 Sea surface temperature (SST) is the water temperature

close to the ocean's surface.
 The exact meaning of surface varies according to the
measurement method used, but it is between 1 millimetre
(0.04 in) and 20 metres (70 ft) below the sea surface.
 Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified
by sea surface temperatures within a short distance of the
shore.
 Warm sea surface temperatures are known to be a cause of
tropical cyclogenesis over the Earth's oceans.
 SST changes diurnally, like the air above it, but to
a lesser degree. There is less SST variation on
breezy days than on calm days.
 Sea surface temperature (SST) is a strong
indicator of productivity, pollution, and global
climate change, and this can be measured using
thermal infrared (IR) bands from optical satellites.
 SST is also an indicator of stress to corals and
other species.
 SST is an essential climate variable for
understanding the climate system and quantifying
ongoing climatic change. Global mean SST has
risen from decade-to-decade since the 1970s, with
consequences for global weather patterns and
oceanic ecosystems. Most striking is the
increasing frequency of mass bleaching events of
coral reefs (Hughes et al., 2017).
 Sea surface temperature (SST) refers to the state
of the uppermost ‘mixed’ layer of the ocean,
typically only few tens of meters thick.
Knowledge of past SST variability is important as
it helps us understand how the ocean behaves in
times of climate change; it allows us to validate
numerical climate models and assess the
significance of current climate trends.
 Temperature affects a range of thermodynamic,
metabolic, and biological processes that leave
their signature in the geological record.
Introduction
The physical properties of water can only be changed
when they mix with the water of different properties.
Without mixing, the temperature and salinity remain
unchanged. Temperature and salinity are therefore the most
suitable hydrographic properties to define water masses
and study their distribution in contrast to oxygen or
nutrients which participate in biochemical processes and
therefore show changing concentration levels even in the
absence of mixing.
The basic tool for water mass classification and analysis
is the temperature-salinity (T-S) diagram in which the two
conservative properties are plotted against each other.
 There are fine differences in water which cause certain
vol. of water with homogenous properties & move as a
distinct mass and retain their properties for great
distances without appreciable mixing. These distinct mass
of homogenous properties are called water mass.
 A homogeneous water mass, ie a water mass of uniform
temperature and salinity, shows up in a TS-diagram as a single
point. North Atlantic Deep Water and Antarctic Intermediate
Water are two examples of such water masses. Other water
masses display some variation of their properties with depth
and are represented in TS-diagrams by curves. The best
known examples of this kind are the water masses of the
permanent thermocline known as Central Water.
 In the theory of water masses a water type is a point in the TS-
diagram.
If we define the water mass by taking the
average temperature and salinity from the two
years, the resulting source water type gives a
good description of the water mass; but it does
not represent any water as it actually exists. A
complete description of a water mass requires
specification of its source water type (or source
water types) and standard deviations (variances)
for temperature and salinity.
It takes many years of observations to establish
standard deviations for source water types.
water properties, such as temperature and salinity,
are formed only when the water is at the surface
or in the mixed layer. Heating, cooling, rain, and
evaporation all contribute. Once the water sinks
below the mixed layer, temperature and salinity
can change only by mixing with adjacent water
masses. Thus water from a particular region has a
particular temperature associated with a particular
salinity, and the relationship changes little as the
water moves through the deep ocean.
TS-time diagram
 The sequence of observations taken over a year
defines a TS- relationship in time that reflects the
weekly and seasonal changes of the two properties.
The standard deviations associated with the data
points when more than a single measurement was
taken on any one day express the daily variability.
Taken together the data indicate, for example, that
we can expect the temperature of the water mass to
be between 24°C and 26°C during the warmest
month and between 5°C and 8°C during the coldest
month, while the salinity can be expected to lie
between 33.5 and 34.3 and between 34.5 and 35.2
during the two months, respectively.
Temperature and salinity
measured at hydrographic
stations on either side of the
Gulf Stream. Left:
Temperature and salinity
plotted as a function of
depth. Right: The same
data, but salinity is plotted
as a function of temperature
in a T-S plot. Notice that
temperature and salinity are
uniquely related below the
mixed layer.
Water Masses of the South Atlantic between 33° S and 11° N
Temp. Salinity
(°C)
Antarctic water
Antarctic Intermediate Water AIW 3.3 34.15
Antarctic Bottom Water ABW 0.4 34.67
North Atlantic water 4.0
North Atlantic Deep Water NADW 35.00
2.5
North Atlantic Bottom Water NABW 34.90
Thermocline water Subtropical Lower Water U 18.0 35.94
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Sea Surface Temperature (SST)

 Sea surface temperature (SST) is the water temperature

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