Servain Jacques auteur aut IRD Caniaux G. auteur aut IRD Kouadio Y.K. auteur aut IRD McPhaden M.J. auteur aut IRD Araujo M. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access A homogeneous monthly data set of sea surface temperature (SST) and pseudo wind stress based on in situ observations is used to investigate the climatic trends over the tropical Atlantic during the last five decades (1964–2012). After a decrease of SST by about 1 °C during 1964–1975, most apparent in the northern tropical region, the entire tropical basin warmed up. That warming was the most substantial (>1 °C) in the eastern tropical ocean and in the longitudinal band of the intertropical convergence zone. Surprisingly, the trade wind system also strengthened over the peirod 1964–2012. Complementary information extracted from other observational data sources confirms the simultaneity of SST warming and the strengthening of the surface winds. Examining data sets of surface heat flux during the last few decades for the same region, we find that the SST warming was not a consequence of atmospheric heat flux forcing. Conversely, we suggest that long-term SST warming drives changes in atmosphere parameters at the sea surface, most notably an increase in latent heat flux, and that an acceleration of the hydrological cycle induces a strengthening of the trade winds and an acceleration of the Hadley circulation. These trends are also accompanied by rising sea levels and upper ocean heat content over similar multi-decadal time scales in the tropical Atlantic. Though more work is needed to fully understand these long term trends, especially what happens from the mid-1970’s, it is likely that changes in ocean circulation involving some combination of the Atlantic meridional overtuning circulation and the subtropical cells are required to explain the observations. specialized CLIMAT INTERACTION OCEAN ATMOSPHERE TEMPERATURE DE SURFACE VENT FORCING FLUX THERMIQUE ANOMALIE DE TEMPERATURE NIVEAU MARIN CIRCULATION OCEANIQUE VARIATION PLURIANNUELLE CHANGEMENT CLIMATIQUE ATLANTIQUE ZONE TROPICALE 032CLIMET 021CLIMAT Johns W.E. ed. edt IRD Brandt P. ed. edt IRD Chang P. ed. edt IRD 43 11 3071-3089 2014 0930-7575 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063221 10.1007/s00382-014-2168-7 0930-7575 [F B010063221] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063221 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/depot/2014-11-24/010063221.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2014-11-24 2015-06-22 fdi:010063221 fre