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Monthly SST, Vector Wind, and Wind Speed Anomalies

These maps show monthly vector wind anomalies, wind speed anomalies, and sea surface temperature anomalies for the globe using the 1991-2020 base period for the month shown.

To produce the wind anomaly vectors, the zonal and meridional monthly wind anomalies are computed separately. Vectors show the resultant wind anomaly direction, and the vector length indicates the magnitude of the resultant wind anomaly. A vector scale in the lower-right-hand corner of the map indicates the length of the vector for a given speed, in units of m/s. Signed wind speed anomalies are calculated by subtracting the magnitude of the resultant monthly climatolgical wind speed (1991-2020 base period) from the magnitude of the resultant monthly observed wind speed, and are indicated by contours with an interval of +/- 1 m/s. Color shading indicates the monthly sea surface temperature anomaly in units of °C, with temperatures above the 1991-2020 mean in shades of yellow and red, and below-normal temperatures in shades of blue.

Dataset Documentation

Monthly SST, Vector Wind, and Wind Speed Anomalies

Data
NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis monthly zonal and meridional winds at standard pressure levels on a 2.5° lat/lon grid, and Reynolds and Smith OISST version 2.1 monthly sea surface temperature anomalies on a 0.25° lat/lon grid
Data Source
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) (NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis)
Analysis
Anomalies of monthly wind components and sea surface temperatures using the 1991-2020 base period

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