A Large-Scale Longitudinal Variation in Surface Temperature in the North Pacific

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Abstract
A large-scale longitudinal variation in surface temperature in the North Pacific is described by an analysis of some existing data and some newer data. When monthly mean surface temperatures are plotted against longitude at mid-latitudes there is nearly always a temperature maximum in the eastern Pacific and a minimum in the central Pacific. Long-term averages of monthly mean temperature data, as well as independent surface temperature data from individual cruises, show a similar maximum and minimum. At 35°N and 40°N the mean positions of the maximum and minimum are further west in summer than in winter, and for a given month are further west at 35°N than at 40°N. The east-west scale of the temperature feature is defined to be the longitudinal distance between the positions of the adjacent temperature extremes and is shown to have an average value of about 2000 km nearly independent of season and latitude. The temperature scale is defined to be the difference between the maximum and minimum tempe... Abstract A large-scale longitudinal variation in surface temperature in the North Pacific is described by an analysis of some existing data and some newer data. When monthly mean surface temperatures are plotted against longitude at mid-latitudes there is nearly always a temperature maximum in the eastern Pacific and a minimum in the central Pacific. Long-term averages of monthly mean temperature data, as well as independent surface temperature data from individual cruises, show a similar maximum and minimum. At 35°N and 40°N the mean positions of the maximum and minimum are further west in summer than in winter, and for a given month are further west at 35°N than at 40°N. The east-west scale of the temperature feature is defined to be the longitudinal distance between the positions of the adjacent temperature extremes and is shown to have an average value of about 2000 km nearly independent of season and latitude. The temperature scale is defined to be the difference between the maximum and minimum tempe...

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