February 2011 SST Anomaly Update

I’ve moved to WordPress.  This post can now be found at February 2011 SST Anomaly Update

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MONTHLY SST ANOMALY MAP

The map of Global OI.v2 SST anomalies for February 2011 downloaded from the NOMADS website is shown below.

http://i51.tinypic.com/14dkbar.jpg
February 2011 SST Anomalies Map (Global SST Anomaly = +0.098 deg C)

MONTHLY OVERVIEW
Monthly NINO3.4 SST anomalies have risen from their ENSO season low, heralding the start of the end of this La Niña. The Monthly NINO3.4 SST Anomaly is -1.24 deg C.

The SST anomalies in most ocean basins rose this month. This is likely as response to the ebbing of the La Niña. The Arctic, North Atlantic, and East Indian-West Pacific are the exceptions; the SST anomalies there rose. The result was no change in Northern Hemisphere SST anomalies, and an increase in Southern Hemisphere data, for an increase in global SST anomalies (+0.031 deg C). They are presently at +0.098 deg C.
http://i54.tinypic.com/2v2basl.jpg
(1) Global
Monthly Change = +0.031 deg C
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http://i52.tinypic.com/34pfck5.jpg
(2) NINO3.4 SST Anomaly
Monthly Change = +0.349 deg C

THE EAST PACIFIC VERSUS THE REST OF THE WORLD
As noted in the post Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies – East Pacific Versus The Rest Of The World, I have added these two datasets to the monthly updates. Both datasets have been adjusted for the impacts of volcanic aerosols, and both are smoothed with 13-month running-average filters to reduce the seasonal noise. The global oceans were divided into these two subsets to illustrate two facts. First, the linear trend of the volcano-adjusted East Pacific (90S-90N, 180-80W) SST anomalies since the start of the Reynolds OI.v2 dataset is basically flat, with a linear trend of only 0.08 deg C per Century.
http://i51.tinypic.com/1ik0w6.jpg
(3) Volcano-Adjusted East Pacific (90S-90N, 180-80W)

And second, the volcano-adjusted SST anomalies for the Rest of the World (90S-90N, 80W-180) rise in very clear steps, in response to the significant 1986/87/88 and 1997/98 El Niño/La Niña events. It also appears as though the SST anomalies of this dataset are making another shift in response to the most recent ENSO event.
http://i51.tinypic.com/ofr67s.jpg
(4) Volcano-Adjusted Rest of the World (90S-90N, 80W-180)

EAST INDIAN-WEST PACIFIC
The SST anomalies in the East Indian and West Pacific took a major nose dive this month.

I’ve added this dataset in an attempt to draw attention to what appears to be the upward steps in response to significant El Niño events that are followed by La Niña events.
http://i54.tinypic.com/dpd4k3.jpg
(5) East Indian-West Pacific (60S-65N, 80E-180)
Monthly Change = -0.005 deg C

Further information on the upward “step changes” that result from strong El Niño events, refer to my posts from a year ago Can El Niño Events Explain All of the Global Warming Since 1976? – Part 1 and Can El Niño Events Explain All of the Global Warming Since 1976? – Part 2

And for the discussions of the processes that cause the rise, refer to More Detail On The Multiyear Aftereffects Of ENSO - Part 2 – La Niña Events Recharge The Heat Released By El Niño Events AND...During Major Traditional ENSO Events, Warm Water Is Redistributed Via Ocean Currents -AND- More Detail On The Multiyear Aftereffects Of ENSO - Part 3 – East Indian & West Pacific Oceans Can Warm In Response To Both El Niño & La Niña Events

The animations included in post La Niña Is Not The Opposite Of El Niño – The Videos further help explain the reasons why East Indian and West Pacific SST anomalies can rise in response to both El Niño and La Niña events.

NOTE ABOUT THE DATA
The MONTHLY graphs illustrate raw monthly OI.v2 SST anomaly data from December 1981 to February 2011.

MONTHLY INDIVIDUAL OCEAN AND HEMISPHERIC SST UPDATES http://i52.tinypic.com/2mx0qw3.jpg
(6) Northern Hemisphere
Monthly Change = 0.000 deg C
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http://i52.tinypic.com/34taetz.jpg
(7) Southern Hemisphere
Monthly Change = +0.055 deg C
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http://i53.tinypic.com/13ygpia.jpg
(8) North Atlantic (0 to 75N, 78W to 10E)
Monthly Change = -0.119 deg C
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http://i55.tinypic.com/2hncbqq.jpg
(9) South Atlantic (0 to 60S, 70W to 20E)
Monthly Change = +0.210 deg C

Note: I discussed the upward shift in the South Atlantic SST anomalies in the post The 2009/10 Warming Of The South Atlantic. It does not appear as though the South Atlantic will return to the level it was at before that surge, and where it had been since the late 1980s. That is, it appears to have made an upward step and continues to rise. Why? Dunno---yet.

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http://i55.tinypic.com/f2u903.jpg
(10) North Pacific (0 to 65N, 100 to 270E, where 270E=90W)
Monthly Change = +0.042 Deg C
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http://i55.tinypic.com/2zfo4f4.jpg
(11) South Pacific (0 to 60S, 145 to 290E, where 290E=70W)
Monthly Change = +0.014 deg C
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http://i51.tinypic.com/jj5k04.jpg
(12) Indian Ocean (30N to 60S, 20 to 145E)
Monthly Change = +0.027 deg C
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http://i54.tinypic.com/2vsrtyx.jpg
(13) Arctic Ocean (65 to 90N)
Monthly Change = -0.019 deg C
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http://i56.tinypic.com/2lvbu5x.jpg
(14) Southern Ocean (60 to 90S)
Monthly Change = +0.003 deg C

WEEKLY SST ANOMALIES
The weekly NINO3.4 SST anomaly data portray OI.v2 data centered on Wednesdays. The latest weekly NINO3.4 SST anomalies are -1.26 deg C.
http://i54.tinypic.com/2vttl49.jpg
(15) Weekly NINO3.4 (5S-5N, 170W-120W)

The weekly global SST anomalies are at +0.115 deg C.
http://i51.tinypic.com/33axt9t.jpg
(16) Weekly Global

SOURCE
The Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Temperature Data (OISST) are available through the NOAA National Operational Model Archive & Distribution System (NOMADS).
http://nomad1.ncep.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/pdisp_sst.sh
or
http://nomad3.ncep.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/pdisp_sst.sh