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Global Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies from June, 2002 to September, 2003 (WMS)
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The temperature of the surface of the world's oceans provides a clear indication of the state of the Earth's climate and weather. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite measures the temperature of the top 1 millimeter of the ocean every day, even through the clouds. If the average sea surface temperature for a particular date is subtracted from the measured temperature for that date, the resulting sea surface temperature anomaly can be used to accurately assess the current state of the oceans. The anomaly can serve as an early warning system for weather phenomena and can be used to indicate forthcoming problems with fish populations and coral reef health. In this visualization of the anomaly covering the period from June, 2002, to September, 2003, the most obvious effects are a successive warming and cooling along the equator to the west of Peru, the signature of an El Nino/La Nina cycle. Around January 1, 2003, a cooler than normal region of the ocean appears in this region as part of a La Nina and flows westward, driven by the trade winds. The waves that appear on the edges of this cooler area are called tropical instability waves.
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The oceans in this animation have been falsely colored. Temperatures warmer than normal are shown in red while cooler than normal temperatures are shown in blue.
Duration: 15.0 seconds
Available formats:
384x192 (29.97 fps)
MPEG-1
4 MB
160x80
PNG
27 KB
320x160
GIF
42 KB
80x40
PNG
7 KB
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Color bar for the Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly animation. Temperature differences are given in degrees Celsius.
Available formats:
320 x 90
PNG
1 KB
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