Seasonal cycle and interannual variability of the heat content on a hydrographic section off Santander (southern Bay of Biscay), 1991-2000

A standard hydrographical section in the southwestern Bay of Biscay northward from Santander (3°47'W, 43°30743°54'N) was sampled monthly from 1991 by the “Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia". Changes were observed in the heat content and temperature at the surface in the East North Atlantic Central Water (ENACW) and also at the Mediterranean Water (MW) layers. At the surface, in addition to the typical seasonal cycle that shows rapid warming in the spring and slower cooling in the autumn, there was also a suggestion of a warming trend, but it was not statistically significant. Local and occasional sources of variability, such as coastal upwelling, were also detected. Significant warming trends were found for the shallower ENACW, where water mass characteristic changes occurred along the temperature-salinity diagram (around 0.03 to 0.06°C y^-1), and also for the Mediterranean influenced water mass, where its evolution takes place along the isopycnal surface (around 0.02°C y^-1).

Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access  the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".