Observation of an anti-cyclonic mesoscale eddy in the  subtropical northwestern Pacific Ocean from altimetry and Argo profiling floats

Yang Wang; Cheng Li; Qingyu Liu

doi:10.1007/s13131-020-1596-y

Volume 39 Issue 7

Jul. 2020

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Yang Wang, Cheng Li, Qingyu Liu. Observation of an anti-cyclonic mesoscale eddy in the subtropical northwestern Pacific Ocean from altimetry and Argo profiling floats[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2020, 39(7): 79-90. doi: 10.1007/s13131-020-1596-y

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Yang Wang, Cheng Li, Qingyu Liu. Observation of an anti-cyclonic mesoscale eddy in the subtropical northwestern Pacific Ocean from altimetry and Argo profiling floats[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2020, 39(7): 79-90. doi: 10.1007/s13131-020-1596-y

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Observation of an anti-cyclonic mesoscale eddy in the subtropical northwestern Pacific Ocean from altimetry and Argo profiling floats

doi: 10.1007/s13131-020-1596-y

Yang Wang^{1, 2},
Cheng Li^{3, 4
,
,},
Qingyu Liu¹

1.
School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
2.
Maritime Environment Construction Office, Beijing 100081, China
3.
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Coastal Ocean Variability and Disaster Prediction, College of Ocean and Meteorology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
4.
Marine Resources Big Data Center of South China Sea, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhanjiang), Zhanjiang 524025, China

Funds: The National Program on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction under contract No. GASI-IPOVAI-01-02; the program for scientific research start-up funds of Guangdong Ocean University under contract No. R19011; the fund of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhanjiang) under contract No. ZJW-2019-08.

More Information

Corresponding author: E-mail: xiaoxianglch@163.com
Received Date: 2019-09-25
Accepted Date: 2020-02-04

Available Online: 2020-12-28

Publish Date: 2020-07-25

Abstract

Abstract

The comprehensive three-dimensional structures of an anti-cyclonic mesoscale eddy (AE) in the subtropical northwestern Pacific Ocean were investigated by combining the Argo floats profiles with enhanced vertical and temporal sampling and satellite altimetry data. The AE originated near the Kuroshio Extension and then propagated westward with mean velocity of 8.9 cm/s. Significant changes and evolutions during the AE’s growing stage (T1) and further growing stage (T2) were revealed through composite analysis. In the composite eddy core, maximum temperature (T) and salinity (S) anomalies were of 1.7 (1.9)°C and 0.04 (0.07) psu in T1 (T2) period, respectively. The composite T anomalies showed positive in almost whole depth, but the S anomalies exhibited a sandwich-like pattern. The eddy’s intensification and its influence on the intermediate ocean became more significant during its growth. The trapping depth increased from 400×10⁴ Pa to 580×10⁴ Pa while it was growing up, which means more water volume, heat and salt content in deeper layers can be transported. The AE was strongly nonlinear in upper oceans and can yield a typical mean volume transport of 0.17×10⁶ m³/s and a mean heat and salt transport anomaly of 3.6×10¹¹ W and –2.1×10³ kg/s during the observation period. The Energy analysis showed that eddy potential and kinetic energy increased notably as it propagated westward and the baroclinic instability is the major energy source of the eddy growth. The variation of the remained Argo float trapped within the eddy indicated significant water advection during the eddy’s propagation.
- mesoscale eddy,
- three-dimensional structure,
- volume transport,
- available heat and salt content anomaly,
- energy analysis

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References(53)

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