Abstract
Mesoscale eddies are a prominent oceanic phenomenon that plays an important role in oceanic mass transport and energy conversion. Characterizing by rotational speed, the eddy intensity is one of the most fundamental properties of an eddy. However, the seasonal spatiotemporal variation in eddy intensity has not been examined from a global ocean perspective. In this study, we unveil the seasonal spatiotemporal characteristics of eddy intensity in the global ocean by using the latest satellite-altimetry-derived eddy trajectory data set. The results suggest that the eddy intensity has a distinct seasonal variation, reaching a peak in spring while attaining a minimum in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere. The seasonal variation of eddy intensity is more intense in the tropical-subtropical transition zones within latitudinal bands between 15° and 30° in the western Pacific Ocean, the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, and the eastern Indian Ocean because baroclinic instability in these areas changes sharply. Further analysis found that the seasonal variation of baroclinic instability precedes the eddy intensity by a phase of 2–3 months due to the initial perturbations needing time to grow into mesoscale eddies.
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Acknowledgements
The altimetric Mesoscale Eddy Trajectory Atlas product (META3.2 DT allsat, doi: https://doi.org/10.24400/527896/a01-2022.005.220209) was produced by SSALTO/DUACS and distributed by AVISO+ with support from CNES, in collaboration with IMEDEA. The detailed link to the data information and access is as follows: https://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/en/data/products/value-added-products/global-mesoscale-eddy-trajectory-product/meta3-2-dt.html. The EN4.2.2 dataset is from Met Office Hadley Centre, which is open-access on the website: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/en4/download-en4-2-2.html. The absolute geostrophic current (doi: https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00148) is published by Copernicus Marine Service and the access address is https://data.marine.copernicus.eu/product/SEALEVEL_GLO_PHY_L4_MY_008_047/services.
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Foundation item: The National Key R&D Program of China under contract No. 2022YFC2807604; the Basic Scientific Fund for National Public Research Institutes of China under contract Nos 2022S02, 2022Q03 and 2018S02; the Marine S&T Fund of Shandong Province for Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao) under contract No. 2018SDKJ0105-3; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41876030, 41976021, 41876231, 4190060432 and 41706220; the program Impact and Response of Antarctic Seas to Climate Change under contract No. IRASCC 01-01-01A; the Taishan Scholars Project Fund under contract No. ts20190963.
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Zu, Y., Fang, Y., Sun, S. et al. Seasonal variation of mesoscale eddy intensity in the global ocean. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 43, 48–58 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-023-2278-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-023-2278-3