The winter St. Helena climate index and extreme Benguela upwelling

Climate changes in the subtropical South-east Atlantic turn out to be well described by the St. Helena Island Climate Index (HIX) and observed fluctuations are in good agreement with inter-decadal variability of the entire South Atlantic Ocean. Year-to-year variations of the averaged austral winter HIX (July–September), representative of the main upwelling season, were compared with (i) corresponding averages of the geostrophic alongshore component of the south-east trade wind (SET) between St. Helena Island in the south-west and Luanda/Angola in the north-east, (ii) the meridional distribution of surface waters colder than 13 °C to characterise intense Benguela upwelling (IBU), and (iii) the meridional position of the Angola-Benguela Frontal Zone (ABFZ) determined by means of sea surface temperature images for offshore distances between 50 and 400 km. Temporal changes of these parameters were investigated and showed that the frequency of consecutive years of strong and relaxed Benguela upwelling is characterised by a quasi-cycle of about 11–14 years. It is proposed that the index of the winter HIX may be used as a ‘surveyor’s rod' to describe interannual changes in the Benguela upwelling regime as well as those of the embedded marine ecosystem.