Trends of Satellite-Derived Thermal Fronts in the Southeast and Southwest of Australia Between 1993 and 2019

Abstract

Oceanic fronts play a significant role in marine ecosystems by enhancing vertical exchange, promoting the aggregation of plankton, and drawdown of organic carbon. Anthropogenic emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the twentieth century has driven global warming, leading to rising ocean temperatures. Specific regions warming faster than the global average—known as ‘ocean warming hotspots’—have been identified, impacting geophysical and biogeochemical dynamics of local ecosystems. Here, we aim to characterize the variability of sea surface temperature (SST) fronts in the southeast and southwest Australia hotspots. Using a histogram frontal detection method, we derived fronts from AVHRR-only and Multi-sensor 6-day SST composites on a 0.02 × 0.02 grid between January 1993 and December 2019. Our results indicate that frontal frequency and frontal density have increased in both regions in the past three decades, by around 0.2–0.3%. In addition, both regions exhibit higher frequency and density of fronts in austral winter and fewer in austral summer. Our calculations show that changes in frontal frequency/density show some relationship to El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole. Changes in frontal activity could strongly impact local ocean biogeochemistry and marine ecosystems. A better understanding changing fronts in hotspots will help predict and manage future changes in regional oceans to warming.