>December 2009 SST Anomaly Update

>NINO3.4 SST Anomalies Remained Well In Strong El Nino Territories, And Global SST Anomalies Have Responded To The Surge From Last Month.

MONTHLY SST ANOMALY MAP

The map of Global OI.v2 SST anomalies for December 2009 downloaded from the NOMADS website is shown below.
http://i49.tinypic.com/243i2it.png
December 2009 SST Anomalies Map (Global SST Anomaly = +0.31 deg C)

MONTHLY OVERVIEW

Global SST anomalies rose a good amount (+0.052 deg C) between November and December, with the rise in the Southern Hemisphere (+0.086 deg C) significantly larger than the rise in the Northern Hemisphere (+0.008 deg C). The equatorial Pacific remains in strong El Nino conditions (Monthly NINO3.4 SST Anomaly = +1.82 deg C and Weekly NINO3.4 SST Anomaly = +1.76 deg C). Monthly NINO3.4 SST anomalies rose +0.15 in December, while the weekly data shows NINO3.4 SST anomalies have dropped from their peak over the past two weeks. (Does this mean NINO3.4 SST Anomalies have reached their peak for the season?)
http://i45.tinypic.com/r29jir.png
Global
Monthly Change = +0.052 deg C
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http://i49.tinypic.com/2v28b2v.png
NINO3.4 SST Anomaly
Monthly Change = +0.15 deg C

EAST INDIAN-WEST PACIFIC

As noted last month, I’ve added the East Indian-West Pacific SST Anomaly data well in advance of when any evidence of a step change would occur. (I’m trying to draw attention to the atypical response.) Using the 1986/87/88 and 1997/98 El Nino events as references, East Indian-West Pacific SST Anomalies peak about 7 to 9 months after the peak of the NINO3.4 SST anomalies, so we shouldn’t expect any visible sign of a step change for almost 18 to 24 months. We’ll just have to watch and see.
http://i49.tinypic.com/25z5y55.png
East Indian-West Pacific (60S-65N, 80E-180)
Monthly Change = -0.01 deg C

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

NOTE ABOUT THE DATA

The MONTHLY graphs illustrate raw monthly OI.v2 SST anomaly data from November 1981 to December 2009.

MONTHLY INDIVIDUAL OCEAN AND HEMISPHERIC SST UPDATES
http://i45.tinypic.com/2uivexe.png
Northern Hemisphere
Monthly Change = +0.008 deg C
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http://i45.tinypic.com/2hhnd6h.png
Southern Hemisphere
Monthly Change = +0.086 deg C
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http://i46.tinypic.com/w2knrd.png
North Atlantic (0 to 75N, 78W to 10E)
Monthly Change = -0.025 deg C
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http://i46.tinypic.com/69fgb4.png
South Atlantic (0 to 60S, 70W to 20E)
Monthly Change = +0.192 deg C
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http://i50.tinypic.com/xkyxko.png
North Pacific (0 to 65N, 100 to 270E, where 270E=90W)
Monthly Change = +0.009 Deg C
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http://i49.tinypic.com/2edcdnt.png
South Pacific (0 to 60S, 145 to 290E, where 290E=70W)
Monthly Change = +0.116 deg C
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http://i49.tinypic.com/zugkjm.png
Indian Ocean (30N to 60S, 20 to 145E)
Monthly Change = +0.030 deg C
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http://i46.tinypic.com/1zgq6p3.png
Arctic Ocean (65 to 90N)
Monthly Change = -0.092 deg C
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http://i50.tinypic.com/2vmvsd2.png
Southern Ocean (60 to 90S)
Monthly Change = +0.007 deg C

WEEKLY NINO3.4 SST ANOMALIES

The weekly NINO3.4 SST anomaly data illustrate OI.v2 data centered on Wednesdays. The latest weekly NINO3.4 SST anomalies are +1.76 deg C, down from a (seasonal?) peak of 1.94 Deg C two weeks ago.
http://i46.tinypic.com/j8e54m.png
Weekly NINO3.4 (5S-5N, 170W-120W)

SOURCE

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