Annual and Seasonal Variation of the Ocean Thermal Resources off the Mexican Coast

Abstract

A large amount of thermal energy is stored in the oceans between the tropics, available for conversion into electrical energy using OTEC technology. The aim of this study was to determine the annual and seasonal variability of the oceanic thermal resource in Mexico. Using the WOA18 database, we mapped surface temperature at a 10 m depth, deep cold water (<5 °C), vertical temperature difference (18 and 20 °C), and temperature anomalies. From the results, four areas were analyzed as being suitable for the installation of OTEC technology: Pacific (A), Los Cabos (B), Caribbean (C), and Gulf of Mexico (G). The optimal thermal resource (≥20 °C) was found between a 400 and 1000 m depth in all seasons in A and C, in spring, summer, and autumn in G, and only in summer and autumn in B. The suboptimal thermal resource (between 18 and 20 °C) was present between 400 and 800 m in all seasons in A, C, and G, and in summer and autumn in B. These results provide new information of utmost importance for future location and design considerations of OTEC plants on Mexican coasts, and the methodology can be used in other areas where there is a lack of field data and the development of OTEC technology is being considered.

Keywords

• thermal energy
• OTEC
• oceanic vertical temperature difference
• anomaly
• WOA18 database