CoAuthors

SAbine ARNAULT (LOCEAN/IPSL Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France); Aman ANGORA (Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Cote d'Ivoire, Côte d'Ivoire); Elisée TOUALY (Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Cote d'Ivoire, Cote d'Ivoire)

The Gulf of Guinea (GG) in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean is characterized by a strong seasonal variability of oceanic surface conditions. The open ocean surface circulation is predominantly zonal with the presence of the South Equatorial Current (SEC) flowing westward. Along the northern coast, an intense eastward coastal current is observed: the Guinea Current. Due to the paucity of in situ measurements, the time and space variability of this surface circulation in the GG remains poorly documented. The link between this variability and other oceanic phenomena (such as upwelling) has also not been clearly established, as well as its impact on the West African Monsoon. The aim of this study is to provide a synoptic view of the seasonal and interannual variability of this surface circulation in the GG and to highlight the different connections with other oceanic and atmospheric features if any. The approach is mainly based on altimetry data using either gridded multi-satellite products or coastal along-track products available over the period 1993-2015. In situ measurements such as Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler measurements obtained during oceanographic campaigns (Equalant 1999, Equalant 2000, EGEE2, PIRATA 2012 and PIRATA 2014), satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST) information, and tide gauge data complete our data sets.