Coupling of internal waves on the main thermocline to the diurnal surface layer and sea surface temperature during the tropical ocean-global atmosphere coupled ocean-atmosphere response experiment

Patterns in sea surface temperature (SST) on 5-km scales were observed from low-flying research aircraft on a light wind day during the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment. An inverse trend was observed between the SST and the sea surface mean square slope (mss). However, low correlation coefficients indicate that the dominant process causing the spatial variation of SST under these light wind conditions is neither well controlled by the wind speed nor well monitored by the mss. The SST spatial pattern persisted for at least 1 hour and propagated toward the NE at about 1 m s^-1, a factor of 1.6 faster than the speed of the surface current. Coupling between internal gravity waves propagating on the seasonal thermocline and the diurnal surface layer is examined as a possible explanation for the observed SST variability in space and time.