Oceanic fronts are ubiquitous features, which exist over a large range of spatio-temporal scales (e.g., planetary fronts like the Gulf Stream, and upwelling fronts found in major coastal upwelling systems). Typically, fronts are defined as narrow boundaries separating water masses with distinct properties. In particular, sea surface temperature (SST) fronts delineate water masses with different SST, and can sometimes be observed from space through microwave radiometers and/or infrared sensors.

While papers on fronts are numerous, most studies focus on regional fronts, with a minority dealing with fronts at a global scale. To our knowledge, there are only a handful of global atlases on oceanic fronts, with consistency in detecting and identifying fronts being a recurrent challenge.

An automated method to detect SST fronts from global satellite observations was developed recently, which led to new findings: some fronts’ location was updated, while some other fronts had never been documented previously. The algorithm was later modified and implemented to detect fronts in high-resolution ocean simulations, with the aim to better understand frontal dynamics in the California Current System. Results from both projects will be presented, along with a brief introduction to the ongoing work done in the Bay of Bengal.