Results of monitoring of Equatorial Front at the northern Peruvian coastal site since December 2014

Abstract:

Temperature, salinity and currents have been observed by mooring oceanographic instruments at an oil platform (4º26.863’S, 81º 20.148’W) to monitor movement of the Equatorial Front along the northern Peruvian coastal region since December 6, 2014. Temperature was increased from December 2014 to May 2015 both near surface (10 m) and near bottom (54 m). Bottom temperature became warm abruptly from 16ºC to 22 ºC from mid-March to early-May; however, surface temperature was undulated with a period of 36.6 days. In overall, temperature and salinity was an inverse proportional relation at surface with a steep decline of salinity (from 34.92 to 33.23 psu) for 3 days from 13 to 16 February. This salinity decline suggests southward displacement of the Equatorial Front. The depth mean current which flowed toward south-southwest with 12.4 cm/s supports this. Bottom temperature increased after the Equatorial Front moved to southward. This is important to forecast El Niño.