Premium
Vertical structure anomalies of oceanic eddies in the K uroshio E xtension region
Author(s) -
Sun Wenjin,
Dong Changming,
Wang Ruyun,
Liu Yu,
Yu Kai
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/2016jc012226
Subject(s) - argo , eddy , geology , anticyclone , potential vorticity , climatology , temperature salinity diagrams , geostrophic wind , salinity , oceanography , atmospheric sciences , vorticity , vortex , meteorology , geography , turbulence
Using collocated altimetry sea surface height anomalies (SSHA) and Argo profiles within detected eddies, we investigated structures of temperature, salinity, potential density, geostrophic current, mixed layer depth (MLD), potential vorticity (PV), and buoyancy frequency ( N ) in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region under the influences of oceanic eddies. We identified 54,302 oceanic eddies (snapshots) in the KE region during the period of 1999–2013. The composite analysis showed that changes in physical parameters modulated by the climatological composite eddies (hereinafter referred to as composite eddies) were mainly confined in the upper 800 m. At the eddy core, the maximum cooling in the composite cyclonic eddy (CE) reaches 2.00°C at ∼360 m, with maximum salinity change of −0.13 psu at ∼260 m and maximum potential density change of +0.27 kg/m 3 at ∼310 m. In contrast, the maximum warming in the composite anticyclonic eddy (AE) reaches 1.78°C at ∼410 m of the eddy core, with maximum salinity change of 0.12 psu at ∼260 m and maximum potential density change of −0.22 kg/m 3 at ∼410 m. There were obvious anticlockwise and clockwise geostrophic current anomalies associated with the composite CE and AE, respectively. The seasonal mean eddy‐modulated MLD anomaly had significant seasonal variations. In addition, they could modulate opposite PV changes, the magnitude of which varied with depth.