CoAuthors

Sabine Arnault (LOCEAN UMR CNRS/IRD/UPMC/MNHN, France); Sylvie Thiria (LOCEAN UMR CNRS/IRD/UPMC/MNHN, France); Khalil Yala (LOCEAN UMR CNRS/IRD/UPMC/MNHN, France); Mounir Bendali Braham (LOCEAN UMR CNRS/IRD/UPMC/MNHN, France); Beyrem Jebri (LOCEAN UMR CNRS/IRD/UPMC/MNHN, France)

The western tropical Atlantic ocean is a very energetic and highly variable region. It is one of the main contributors to the inter-hemispheric mass and heat transports. This study gives a new picture of the space and time variability of this region using statistical tools applied to satellite measurements such as radar altimeters (TOPEX/Poséïdon/Jason series...), Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) radiometer, and the Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis (OSTIA) products. The investigated variables are thus the Sea Surface Temperature (SST), the Sea Level Anomalies (SLA) and the Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) between 70°W-20°E, 0°N-15°N, from 2010 to 2015. Using analytical methods from the statistical and machine learning field, like the Self-Organizing Map (SOM), it is possible to classify the different phenomena located in that area and to identify their characteristics. We will focus on the dynamics of the North Brazil Current, and the North Equatorial CounterCurrent, respectively, and their links with the InterTropical Convergence Zone and the Amazon river run off.