AOML
NOAA

Ocean Indexes and Indicators

Introduction

Several indicators and indexes are computed at AOML using hydrographic observations and satellite observations. They provide information about ocean heat content and transport, sea surface temperature, and ocean currents variability and can be used to monitor the ocean state and variability and to validate outputs from numerical models. If you would like to receive a file with the data of these indexes and indicators, please contact the investigators leading each specific work.

Oceans Heat Content and Transport
Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential (TCHP) Global upper ocean heat content linked to tropical cyclone intensification
Atlantic Meridional Heat Transport and Meridional Overturning Circulation Large scale heat transport in the Atlantic Ocean
Ocean Currents
Florida Current Critical to monitor the North Atlantic MOC
North Brazil Current North Brazil Current Transport
North Brazil Current Rings
Main contributor to the South to North Atlantic water mass transport
Yucatan Current Transport of waters from the Caribean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico
Brazil-Malvinas Currents Southwest boundary of the South Atlantic Subtropical gyre, connecting subpolar to subtropical regions
Agulhas Current Agulhas Current Transport
Agulhas Rings
Leakage of Indian Ocean waters into the South Atlantic Ocean
Antarctic Circumpolar Current Interbasin exchanges of water masses south of Africa
Tropical Atlantic Current System Zonal transport of waters in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean
Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Surface Height
Atlantic Atlantic 3 Region Shown to impact ENSO and linked to rainfall in the Gulf of Guinea
North Atlantic Linked with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
Warm Pools Atlantic Warm Pool
Indo-Pacific Warm Pool
Western Hemisphere Warm Pool
Extensions of warm (>28.5°C) surface waters in the tropical oceans used for extreme weather studies and outlooks
Pacific ENSO Niño region 1.2
Niño region 3
Niño region 3.4
Niño region 4
El Niño Southern Oscillation is the most important Ocean-atmosphere phenomenum to cause global climate variability on interannual time-scales, and linked to extreme weather events (tropical cyclones, tornadoes, droughts, and extreme rainfall)
Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico Monitoring Indicators Parameters and Indicators to monitor ocean conditions including surface currents, heat content, and ecossystems
Gulf of Mexico SST and SSH