Authors
Frédéric Cyr, Pierre Larouche
Publication date
2015/3/15
Journal
Atmosphere-Ocean
Volume
53
Issue
2
Pages
212-236
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Description
Oceanic fronts are often associated with enhanced biological activity. Depending on their generation mechanism, they are often linked to specific geographical areas. Here we use 25 years of high-resolution satellite sea surface temperature (SST) daily images to generate maps of SST fronts over Canadian coastal waters. Results show that fronts are ubiquitous features, but some fronts are more persistent than others. We confirmed the location of previously known major fronts, but some new persistent frontal areas were also detected as a result of the use of high-resolution (1.1 km) data and a methodology adapted to detect smaller-scale frontal features. Results also show that some of the frontal areas are associated with enhanced phytoplankton biomass or higher trophic level organisms (whales and birds) confirming the ecological importance of this physical process.
Total citations
201520162017201820192020202120222023233114323
Scholar articles