Influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on climatic factors and estuarine water temperature on the Basque coast (Bay of Biscay): Comparative analysis of three seasonal NAO indices |
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| Authors: | Guillermo Aravena Fernando Villate Arantza Iriarte Ibon Uriarte Berta Ibáñez |
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| Institution: | 1. Laboratory of Ecology, Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, PO Box 644, 48008 Bilbao, Spain;2. Laboratory of Ecology, Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country, Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Gasteiz, Spain;3. Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research (BIOEF), 48015 Sondika, Spain;4. CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain |
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| Abstract: | The effect of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) indices on climatic conditions and their subsequent influence on water temperature of two Basque estuaries (estuary of Bilbao and estuary of Urdaibai) were assessed by transfer function (TF) models for the period 1997–2006. Results showed that air temperature had an immediate (lag=0) and significant negative response to the NAO, whereas rainfall was not correlated with this climate index. The negative correlation between NAO and air temperature was found to be stronger with the seasonal indices derived from the differences in surface pressure between Iceland and Azores than with that derived from the principal component time-series of the leading eigenvector of the sea-level pressure in an Atlantic sector. The correlations between rainfall and river discharge, and between air temperature and water temperature were positive and highly significant in both estuaries. The response of water temperature to air temperature was immediate in both estuaries, whereas one-quarter lagged responses were also observed in the estuary of Bilbao, which is deeper and more stratified than the estuary of Urdaibai. Our study provides evidence that on the Basque coast the NAO plays an important role in climate variations, which in turn affect estuarine water temperature. |
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| Keywords: | North Atlantic Oscillation Climate Water temperature Hydrology Bay of Biscay Estuaries |
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