Multi satellite data for surface chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a), sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind (SSW) and sea level anomalies (SLA) have been obtained and analysed over the Delagoa Bight (24‐28°S, 32‐36°E), southern Mozambique for the period 2003‐2012 at monthly time scales. Both descriptive and quantitative analysis using wavelets have been used to obtain a better understanding of the nature of the interannual, seasonal and intra- seasonal variability of the data. Strong seasonal structure and interannual modulation were observed in the area averaged Chl‐a concentration and SST. The lowest maximum in monthly Chl-a was in December (0.127 mg.m--‐3) and the highest in August (0.541 mg.m‐3). The lowest maximum in monthly SST was in August (21.8°C) and the maximum in February (27.9°C). The Chl‐a and SST were strongly anti-correlated and both exhibited a well- defined seasonal cycle, contrasting with the SSW and SLA. The daily observations of temperature at 17 meters depth, from the northern Delagoa Bight at Ponta Zavora (24.48°S- 35.24°E) for the period 2006‐2011, have confirmed a seasonal signal with amplitude of about 6.5°C. Cool coastal water events were found mostly in summer and spring, with maximum amplitude of 6°C. Further analysis of this daily data did not reveal the timing of such events to be regular.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/19978 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Dove, Veronica Fernando |
| Contributors | Shillington, Frank |
| Publisher | University of Cape Town, Faculty of Science, Department of Oceanography |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Master Thesis, Masters, MSc |
| Format | application/pdf |
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