Sea surface temperature the passing of a hurricane primarily as the result of mixed layer deepening and surface heat losses. In the wake of several day long Saharan dust outbreaks across the adjacent northern Atlantic Ocean, sea surface temperatures are reduced 0.2 C to 0.4 C (0.3 to 0.7 F). Other sources of short-term SST fluctuation include extratropical cyclones, rapid influxes of glacial fresh water and concentrated phytoplankton blooms due to seasonal cycles or agricultural run-off. The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is important for how external forcings are linked with North Atlantic SSTs. El Niño is defined by prolonged differences in Pacific Ocean
Ocean observations Ocean observations The following are considered essential ocean climate variables by the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC) that are currently feasible with current observational systems . Air Temperature Precipitation (meteorology) evaporation Air Pressure, sea level pressure (SLP) Surface radiative fluxes Surface thermodynamic fluxes Wind speed and direction Surface wind stress Water vapor Sea surface temperature (SST) Sea surface salinity (SSS) Sea level Sea state Sea ice Ocean current Ocean color (for biological activity) Carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2) There is a composite network of satellites that generate observations. These include: There is a composite network of in situ observations.