The Ocean Heat Content (OHC) is a quantity that describes the thermal energy stored in a volume of the ocean. The data presented here utilize the methology developed in the Upper Ocean Dynamics Laboratory at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School in the late-1990s (e.g. Shay et al. (2000)) which is based on concepts developed in the early 1970s (e.g. Leipper and Volgenau (1972)). The energy in a column of ocean is calculated from the surface down to the depth of the 26°C isotherm; thus, where the ocean is cooler than 26°C, the OHC is zero in this methodology. Details are available here.
- The units of OHC are conventionally expressed in terms of an energy per area, for example, kiloJoules per square centimeter (kJ/cm²). Although it is a measure of energy through a depth of the ocean, the quantity is vertically integrated, so it is no longer expressed as an energy per volume, but rather, per area. One could then integrate it over a given area and arrive at a total amount of energy (this is conventionally expressed in zetta-Joules (ZJ)).
- The Main Development Region (MDR) of the Atlantic was first defined in Goldenberg and Shapiro (1996) as the area "from ~10° to 20°N between the west coast of Africa and Central America". The vast majority of major hurricanes (Category 3+) form in this narrow band. For these graphics, I split the MDR into its two geographic components: the Caribbean (roughly defined by 85-60°W) and the tropical East Atlantic (roughly defined by 60-20°W).
- The graphics on this page are nominally updated daily at approximately 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
- Related products with SST/OHC time series and anomalies:
Additional information and resources:
- Univ. of Miami's Upper Ocean Dynamics Laboratory
- NOAA/OSPO Ocean Heat Content Suite
- Tropical Satellite Sectors
