November 2010 SST Anomaly Update

I’ve moved to WordPress.  This post can now be found at November 2010 SST Anomaly Update

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MONTHLY SST ANOMALY MAP
The map of Global OI.v2 SST anomalies for November 2010 downloaded from the NOMADS website is shown below. With the exception of the South Atlantic, all ocean basins showed a decline in SST anomalies in November.

http://i56.tinypic.com/2r71xsi.jpg
November 2010 SST Anomalies Map (Global SST Anomaly = +0.097 deg C)

MONTHLY OVERVIEW

Monthly NINO3.4 SST anomalies MAY have reached their seasonal low value. The Monthly NINO3.4 SST Anomaly is -1.46 deg C.

Global SST anomalies dropped in both hemispheres this month for a total decline of about 0.041 deg C. Over the past two months, global SST anomalies have declined almost 0.1 deg C.
http://i56.tinypic.com/6hnudt.jpg
Global
Monthly Change = -0.041 deg C
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http://i55.tinypic.com/2rzp4ax.jpg
NINO3.4 SST Anomaly
Monthly Change = +0.13 deg C

EAST INDIAN-WEST PACIFIC
The SST anomalies in the East Indian and West Pacific made a major decline 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://i56.tinypic.com/2qnvzix.jpg
East Indian-West Pacific (60S-65N, 80E-180)
Monthly Change = -0.126 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 November 1981 to November 2010.

MONTHLY INDIVIDUAL OCEAN AND HEMISPHERIC SST UPDATES http://i51.tinypic.com/20u78l4.jpg
Northern Hemisphere
Monthly Change = -0.073 deg C
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http://i52.tinypic.com/208abko.jpg
Southern Hemisphere
Monthly Change = -0.016 deg C
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http://i52.tinypic.com/2vs1bpv.jpg
North Atlantic (0 to 75N, 78W to 10E)
Monthly Change = -0.069 deg C
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http://i54.tinypic.com/25zmatu.jpg
South Atlantic (0 to 60S, 70W to 20E)
Monthly Change = +0.170 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. Will the South Atlantic return to the level it was at before that surge or will it remain at a new plateau?

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http://i54.tinypic.com/2mwrngw.jpg
North Pacific (0 to 65N, 100 to 270E, where 270E=90W)
Monthly Change = -0.103 Deg C
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http://i55.tinypic.com/2i21zeu.jpg
South Pacific (0 to 60S, 145 to 290E, where 290E=70W)
Monthly Change = -0.097 deg C
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http://i54.tinypic.com/23w3ehv.jpg
Indian Ocean (30N to 60S, 20 to 145E)
Monthly Change = -0.023 deg C
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http://i54.tinypic.com/2cprsih.jpg
Arctic Ocean (65 to 90N)
Monthly Change = -0.238 deg C
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http://i55.tinypic.com/156rcav.jpg
Southern Ocean (60 to 90S)
Monthly Change = -0.051 deg C

WEEKLY SST ANOMALIES
The weekly NINO3.4 SST anomaly data illustrate OI.v2 data centered on Wednesdays. The latest weekly NINO3.4 SST anomalies are -1.32 deg C. That’s an increase of about 0.5 deg C since the minimum of about a month ago.
http://i53.tinypic.com/33v0uxg.jpg
Weekly NINO3.4 (5S-5N, 170W-120W)

The weekly global SST anomalies are at +0.071 deg C. They do not appear as though they will drop to the level they had reached during the 2007/08 La Niña, even if one were to account for the differences in NINO3.4 SST anomalies. This of course will be raised as additional proof the global oceans are warming. But the reason the global SST anomalies have warmed in that time is due primarily to the fact that the East Indian and West Pacific Oceans warm in response to both El Niño and La Niña events. Keep in mind, the warm water released from below the surface of the Pacific Warm Pool doesn’t simply vanish at the end of the El Niño. Also, the unusual rise in South Atlantic SST anomalies has added to the trend.
http://i54.tinypic.com/2j0e6p4.jpg
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