DEEP-SEA RESEARCH II: SPECIAL VOLUME

Covariation of mesoscale ocean color and sea-surface temperature patterns in the Sargasso Sea

D.J. McGillicuddy Jr.¹, V.K. Kosnyrev¹, J.P. Ryan², J.A. Yoder³

¹Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA

²Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, P.O. Box 628, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA

³Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA

During the lifetime of the Coastal Zone Color Scanner, there were 21 instances in which both satellite-derived ocean color and sea-surface temperature are simultaneously available over large areas of the Sargasso Sea. These images reveal close correspondence between mesoscale structures observed in temperature and pigment fields. In general, higher (lower) pigment biomass occurs in mesoscale features consisting of cold (warm) temperature anomalies. This relationship is consistent with the idea that upward displacement of isopycnals at the base of the euphotic zone by mesoscale eddies is an important mechanism of nutrient supply in the region.