Effects of atmospheric circulation on water temperature along the southern Baltic Sea coast

The relationships between atmospheric circulation patterns and water surface temperature along the coast of the southern Baltic Sea were studied. Seasonal water temperature values for Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje, Kołobrzeg, Władysławowo, Hel and Gdynia stations measured during the period of 1951–2010 were used. The methods of correlation and regression were applied to determine the relationships between water temperature and the number of days of atmospheric circulation patterns.

It was demonstrated that the strongest relationships occur in winter, chiefly on account of intense atmospheric circulation activity and weaker effects of solar radiation. The relationships with western circulation are slightly stronger than that associated with the eastern circulation. During the remaining seasons, those dependencies are clearly weaker. Asynchronous relationships between water temperature and atmospheric circulation are less pronounced than the synchronous ones. Despite being weaker, the asynchronous relations are still statistically significant, mainly in the spring season and as such, they may have a prognostic significance.