A Method to Estimate Three-Dimensional Thermal Structure from Satellite Altimetry Data

A new empirical method to estimate mesoscale three-dimensional oceanic thermal structures from near-real-time satellite altimetry data is presented. The method uses a two-layer model with a novel set of empirical parameters for stratification. Empirical parameters, which are calculated from altimetr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of atmospheric and oceanic technology 2009-12, Vol.26 (12), p.2655-2664
Main Authors: Takano, Akiko, Yamazaki, Hidekatsu, Nagai, Takeyoshi, Honda, Osamu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altimetry
Atmospherics
Ecology
Empirical analysis
Estimates
Fisheries
Marine
Mathematical models
Ocean temperature
Oceanography
Satellite altimetry
Satellites
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Summary:A new empirical method to estimate mesoscale three-dimensional oceanic thermal structures from near-real-time satellite altimetry data is presented. The method uses a two-layer model with a novel set of empirical parameters for stratification. Empirical parameters, which are calculated from altimetry data and in situ temperature and salinity profiles obtained from globally distributed Argo floats, allowed for significant increases in the spatiotemporal mapping of mesoscale temperature distributions. The accuracy of the method was validated by comparing the estimated isothermal depths with in situ temperature data. Three case studies in different regions and seasons showed excellent agreement, with a strong linear correlation between the estimated and observed isothermal depths. The authors present the details of the method, discuss its limitations, and demonstrate the ecological relevance of the method for fisheries management by successfully predicting pelagic fish distributions.
ISSN:0739-0572
1520-0426
DOI:10.1175/2009JTECHO669.1