Avaliação dos campos de corrente oceânica e padrões de salinidade no Atlântico tropical

Abstract

The main objective of the present work was to evaluate the surface current and salinity fields in the north and northeast regions of Brazil and their seasonal variation. For this, products from sensors installed on satellites that measure sea surface salinity were used, in combination with ocean circulation data from numerical modelling and in situ measurements of sea surface salinity. The spatio-temporal variability of the current and salinity fields, characterization of water masses and periodicity variation between salinity and temperature patterns through wavelet analysis were identified. The analyzes indicated that the salinity fields vary according to the latitude and influence of the Brazilian Current, as well as the period of the year when there is a decrease in the rainfall regime. The TS diagram indicated water masses with predominant characteristics of Tropical Water (TW) and Coastal Water (CW). The estimate of the integrated salt transport revealed great seasonality for the Northern Brazil Undercurrent (SNB) and little or almost no seasonality for the Brazil Current (CB). The long-term patterns analyzed through wavelets for salinity indicated a greater predominance in the period of short oscillations, around one year, as well as in longer periods, around two years. As for the temperature, the patterns showed predominance only in the period of shorter oscillations, around one year.