Pailler K. auteur aut IRD Bourlès Bernard auteur aut IRD Gouriou Yves auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access In the tropical oceans, where the temperature is roughly homogenous in the upper layer, vertical variations of salinity may be responsible for significant density stratifications. In this study on the Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean, it is shown that fresh surface waters of the Amazon River discharge may induce a strong halocline in the 3-30 m depth range. This halcocline induces a pycnocline that acts as a barrier for mixing between the surface and the subsurface waters. The fresh surface waters are generally associated with positive anomalies of the sea surface temperature. These positive anomalies cover a large part of the basin in boreal summer-fall, following the maximum Amazon River discharge, which may have a significant importance for the ocean-atmosphere exchanges. (Résumé d'auteur) specialized OCEANOGRAPHIE PHYSIQUE EAU STRATIFICATION DENSITE CONDUCTIVITE TEMPERATURE DE SURFACE SALINITE SILICATE PROFONDEUR PROFIL VERTICAL MESURE IN SITU INTERACTION OCEAN ATMOSPHERE CLIMAT VARIABILITE 032CLIMET 26 14 2069-2072 1999 0094-8276 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010019668 10.1029/1999GL900492 0094-8276 [F B010019668] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010019668 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_7/b_fdi_51-52/010019668.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 1999-12-09 2018-06-15 fdi:010019668 fre