Origin of the surface tropical water in the Coral and Tasman Seas

Abstract

South of New Caledonia, a surface salinity maximum exists at about 30ºS. At this latitude, the geostrophic flow is eastward and, consequently, it cannot originate in the Central Pacific Ocean. In the South Pacific, two kinds of surface salinity maximum are formed in two separated areas and they have different properties. These features are shown by several charts of surface salinity.