On an Impact of Horizontal Inhomogeneity of Sea Surface Temperature in the Upwelling Vicinity on the Tangential Wind Stress

The influence of the horizontally – inhomogeneous ocean surface temperature (SST) field in the vicinity of a coastal upwelling (belonging to the Eastern boundary upwelling systems) on the regional characteristics of the wind stress field is analyzed. It is shown that the change in the turbulent regime of the near-surface boundary layer of the atmosphere during the transition from the upwelling region with a relatively low SST to a warmer offshore zone is the main mechanism determining the influence of spatial inhomogeneity of SST in the vicinity of upwelling on the tangential wind stress and its vorticity. It is concluded that modern satellite data and atmospheric re-analyses highly likely underestimate the magnitude of the vorticity of the tangential wind stress and its contribution to the total upward moving rates of the subsurface layers in the vicinity of upwellings of the type under consideration.