Water-Air Temperature Relationship Along Coastal North Carolina, U.S.A

Simultaneous measurements of air and water temperature, wind speed and direction, tidal oscillations, and sea-state conditions (as a mixing factor) were analysed to explain variation in inshore water temperatures. Analysis of the time-series indicates that tidal oscillations, on-and-offshore winds, and differences in wave action play only minor roles in the explanation of either short-term or seasonal variations in inshore water temperatures.