Mesoscale dynamics and front-eddy interactions
Application to the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System
The Loop Current (LC) is the only permanent current and the most energetic feature in the Gulf of Mexico. Once the LC reaches an advanced and unstable stage, a warm eddy sheds from the main current and moves southwestward. The shedding of the LC is very irregular, and its prediction is still very inaccurate. Nonetheless, it is known that cold-core, frontal eddies play an important role in the shedding as they can amplify and constrict the LC.
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Sea surface height field (SSH) for the Loop Current (LC) system, generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. The LC is shown by the 17 cm SSH black contour and the strong frontal eddies by the -28 cm SSH white contour.
Heat, salt and mass transport in the South Atlantic
The South Atlantic is unique for being the only ocean whose heat transport is directed equatorward and for its strategic position that provides a direct connection with the other basins. Thus, this ocean is a key piece for the study of the Meridional Overturning circulation and its impacts on the climate.
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Schematic of the upper branch of the South Atlantic Ocean circulation (Source: Muller-Karger et al., 2017).