Statistical analysis of the sea surface temperature in the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic) using satellite data (2000-2005)

Six years of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite data were acquired to study the spatial and temporal variability of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the Gulf of Trieste between January 2000 and December 2005. Monthly, yearly and 6-yearly SST statistics (mean, median and standard deviation) were produced. The Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis was also applied to the entire dataset. The results show that the seasonal cycle of the SST generally exhibits values ranging between 8 and 25 ◦C with a typical standard deviation of 1.5 ◦C. The first EOF mode describes more than 80% of the total signal variance and its temporal amplitude provides the seasonal SST cycle.