Seasonal variability of sea surface temperature
fronts on Georges Bank
T. Mavor and J. Bisagni
Sea surface temperature (SST) fronts, extracted from archived
(1985-1996) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data,
are determined in the Georges Bank region. Resulting frontal
locations clearly show the seasonal development of the tidal mixing
front on Georges Bank. The probability of detecting an SST front at
an individual pixel on Georges Bank is presented as a monthly
climatology. Variations in the probability, position, and
associated water depth of SST fronts in the Georges Bank region show
the development of the tidal mixing front during the summer, as well
as the presence of a persistent front near the shelfbreak. Further
evidence indicates that the mean position of detected SST fronts on
southern Georges Bank changes approximately 10 kilometers on-bank
from late-spring to mid-summer. Comparison of detected SST fronts
to historical hydrographic data on Georges Bank points to the fronts
being located in increasingly stratified water from May through
August.
Monthly Frontal Probabilities, May through October