Wurl O, Landing WM, Mustaffa NIH, Ribas‐Ribas M, Witte CR, Zappa CJ. The Ocean's Skin Layer in the Tropics.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. OCEANS 2019;
124:59-74. [PMID:
30854275 PMCID:
PMC6392141 DOI:
10.1029/2018jc014021]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We provide a large data set on salinity anomalies in the ocean's skin layer together with temperature anomalies and meteorological forcing. We observed an average salinity anomaly of 0.40 ± 0.41 practical salinity unity (n = 23,743), and in 83% of the observations the salinity anomaly was positive; that is, the skin layer was more saline. Temperature anomalies determined by an infrared camera were -0.23 ± 0.28 °C (upper 20-μm layer in reference to nominal 1-mm depth) and slightly warmer with -0.19 ± 0.25 °C in an upper 80-μm layer in reference to 1-m depth. In 75% of the observations, our data confirmed the presence of a cooler skin layer. Light rain rates (<4 mm/hr) induced an immediate freshening by 0.25 practical salinity unit in the skin layer without any effect in the mixed layer at 1-m depth. Vertical mixing by strong winds (12 m/s) masked freshening during a heavy rain fall (47 mm/hr) by the intrusion of saltier deeper waters, but a freshening was observed after the wind and rain calmed down. We computed density anomalies, which suggest that denser skin layers can remain afloat up to a density anomaly of 1.3 g/L, likely due to the interfacial tension between the skin layer and underlying bulk water. It implies that salinization by evaporation regulates buoyancy fluxes, a key process for the exchange of climate-relevant gases and heat between the ocean and atmosphere.
Collapse