Statistical structure of spatial variability of the ocean thermohaline fields from argo profiling data, 2005–2007

The means, variances, and three-dimensional spatial covariances of the ocean temperature and salinity anomalies in the upper 1400 m layer have been estimated using data of the Argo profiling floats from 2005 to 2007. The results of data processing suggest the continuation of general warming of the ocean waters noted in a number of papers based on earlier data. A pronounced geographical and vertical nonuniformity characterizes this warming but, as a whole, it is mostly distinct in the upper 100 m layer both in the tropics and midlatitudes. For the first time, the unique characteristics of the Argo observing system allowed us to obtain previously unfeasible estimates of the spatial statistics for salinity field. In particular, it has been demonstrated that the spatial structure of salinity anomalies is similar to those of temperature, excluding the case of the near-surface layer.

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