Abstract

Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is considered to be the most important parameter in oceanography. SST is not only an important physical parameter for studying the exchange of water vapor and heat between sea surface and atmosphere but also provides an useful index for oceanographic studies such as ocean circulation, water mass, ocean front, upwelling current, seawater mixing and ocean ecological environment. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and time series analysis was used to assess spatio-temporal variability of sea surface temperature in coastal waters of Khanh Hoa province (south Viet Nam) from Multi-scale Ultra-high Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (MUR SST) data for a period of 10 years (2010-2019). The first 4 EOF modes of SST explained 99.80% of the spatio-temporal variance in total variabilities. The first EOF mode explained 98.10% of the total variation of SST, representing the distribution and variability of SST in the summer with a decreasing trend from north to south. The second EOF mode explained 1,10% of the total variation of SST, representing the variation of the SST distribution in winter and spring with an increasing trend from shore to offshore. SST had a seasonal variation, it was highest in summer and lowest in winter. Trend analysis of SST time series in the past 10 years showed that SST increased 0,03oC/year in the period 1/2010-12/2019. The trend and the speed of increase/decrease of SST varied with each different period. The results of the study are useful documents to support the management and exploitation of marine ecosystems.