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Hydrographic and Biological Survey of a Surface‐Intensified Anticyclonic Eddy in the Caribbean Sea
Author(s) -
Boog C. G.,
Jong M. F.,
Scheidat M.,
Leopold M. F.,
Geelhoed S. C. V.,
Schulz K.,
Dijkstra H. A.,
Pietrzak J. D.,
Katsman C. A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1029/2018jc014877
Subject(s) - anticyclone , oceanography , hydrography , upwelling , isopycnal , eddy , outflow , geology , pycnocline , water column , thermohaline circulation , photic zone , temperature salinity diagrams , sea surface height , mesoscale meteorology , salinity , environmental science , sea surface temperature , phytoplankton , geography , ecology , nutrient , turbulence , meteorology , biology
In the Caribbean Sea, mesoscale anticyclonic ocean eddies impact the local ecosystem by mixing of low salinity river outflow with the nutrient‐rich waters upwelling along the Venezuelan and Colombian coast. To gain insight into the physics and the ecological impact of these anticyclones, we performed a combined hydrographic and biological survey of one Caribbean anticyclone in February 2018. We found that the anticyclone had a radius of 90 km and was surface intensified with the strongest velocities (0.72 m/s) in the upper 150 m of the water column. Below, isopycnal displacements were found down to 700 dbar. The core of the anticyclone entrained waters from the Orinoco River plume and contained slightly elevated chlorophyll concentrations compared to the surroundings. At the edge of the anticyclone we observed higher densities of flying fish but not higher densities of predators like seabirds and cetaceans. Below the surface, a strong temperature inversion (0.98 °C) was present within a barrier layer. In addition, we found thermohaline staircases that originated from double diffusion processes within Tropical Atlantic Central Water.