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An analysis of several hundred NOAA AVHRR thermal images of the Tyrrhenian Sea indicatesimportant aspects of the basin's surface circulation and the seasonal variability of that circulation. A comparison of these data with historical in situ data reveals that while some ideas concerning the circulation are confirmed, new ideas are invoked concerning the forcing mechanisms and the seasonally of the surface dynamics. Time series of the images indicate that the summer circulation is completely different from that of winter, with transition periods occurring inMay'June and September'October. During summer, the satellite data indicate that the basin is isolated by fronts from the rest of the Mediterranean Sea; while in winter, surface water is lostto the Ligurian Sea through the Corsican Channel with compensatory inflow occurs in the south through the Sardinian Channel. Satellite data also Indicate that the winter …