ON AN ABRUPT SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE (SST) DECREASE IN THE BLACK SEA USING DATA OF LONG-TERM SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS
Analysis of satellite data on SST from early 1980s and wind field from 1988 showed that abrupt SST decrease (between 2 to 9°С per day) is a regular phenomenon. Such SST decreasing is typical not only for the coastal upwelling zones in summer. More extended areas arise in the vicinity of the western and eastern large-scale cyclonic gyres in the Black Sea. Transient (but not too fast) cyclonic atmospheric eddies passing through this region are the main cause of additional turbulent entrainment, upward motion and SST anomalies generation. These anomalies are usually developed in a few days after stormy conditions. Frequency of the abrupt SST fall and anomalous area tend to be higher as a result of intensified cyclonic activity in the Black Sea region since 1990s.