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Does the wind systematically energize or damp ocean eddies?
Author(s) -
Wilson Chris
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2016gl072215
Subject(s) - eddy , climatology , wind stress , environmental science , climate model , ocean current , asymmetry , atmospheric sciences , climate change , meteorology , oceanography , geology , turbulence , geography , physics , quantum mechanics
Globally, mesoscale ocean eddies are a key component of the climate system, involved in transport and mixing of heat, carbon, and momentum. However, they represent one of the major challenges of climate modeling, as the details of their nonlinear dynamics affect all scales. Recent progress analyzing satellite observations of the surface ocean and atmosphere has uncovered energetic interactions between the atmospheric wind stress and ocean eddies that may change our understanding of key processes affecting even large‐scale climate. Wind stress acts systematically on ocean eddies and may explain observed asymmetry in the distribution of eddies and details of their lifecycle of growth and decay. These findings provide powerful guidance for climate model development.