9416894 Carton In this project, the PI will continue studies of interannual changes in the upper thermocline waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Previous work has focused on determining the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the tropical Atlantic, including effects of rainfall and runoff. In this follow-on, the PI will focus on the role of wind stress and other surface forcing parameters, on SST, with particular emphasis on the tropics for the three decades of the 1960's through the 1980's, using a primitive equation model. An important question is to include effects of upper ocean salinity. Results will further clarify issues of both modeling and air temperature and precipitation over both Africa and Brazil. The assimilation package to be developed will be a useful contribution to the field of ocean modeling. ***
