Eddies are ubiquitous in the Southern Ocean.
The movie on the right shows the absolute field from a year in the Souther Ocean
(actually a numerical simulation of the Southern Ocean).
Two primary jets can be seen; these jets spawn a number of eddies which propagate
around for months at a time, before being reabsorbed by the jets.
Despite their small size, these eddies are very significant to the
climate of the Southern Ocean. For example, eddies partially control the
total ocean circulation around Antarctica, the temporal response of the circulation
to change (such as global warming) and the flux of heat towards Antarctica.
Relevant publications include:
A. McC. HOGG, M. P. MEREDITH, J. R. BLUNDELL & C. WILSON, (2008).
Eddy heat flux in the Southern Ocean: Response to variable wind forcing.
J. Climate, 21, 608-620.
[Online copy from J. Climate]
M. P. MEREDITH & A. McC. HOGG, (2006).
Circumpolar response of Southern Ocean eddy activity to changes in the Southern Annular Mode.
Geophys. Res. Lett.,33, doi:10.1029/2006GL026499. [On-line copy from GRL]
A. McC. HOGG & J. R. BLUNDELL, (2006).
Interdecadal variability of the Southern Ocean.
J. Phys. Ocean.,36, 1626-1645. [Online copy from JPO]
Eddies and Ocean Gyres
Eddies are present in other ocean basins as well.
The movie on the left shows a double gyre circulation, where wind stress forces
the ocean to move in large gyres. Along the western boundary of the model there is
a very strong current (a Western Boundary Current) which is similar in character
to the famous Gulf Stream. Eddies also play a role in setting the dynamics of
these WBCs.
Relevant publications include:
P. BERLOFF, A. McC. HOGG & W. K. DEWAR, (2007).
Dynamical mechanism of the generic low-frequency variability in wind-driven ocean gyres.
J. Phys. Ocean., 37, 2363-2386. [Online copy from JPO]
A. McC. HOGG, W. K. DEWAR, P. D. KILLWORTH & J. R.
BLUNDELL, (2006).
Decadal variability of the midlatitude climate system
driven by the ocean circulation.
J. Climate,19, 1149-1166. [On-line copy from J. Clim.]
A. McC. HOGG, P. D. KILLWORTH, J. R. BLUNDELL & W. K. DEWAR, (2005).
On the mechanisms of decadal variability of the wind-driven ocean circulation.
J. Phys. Ocean.,35, 512-531. [On-line copy from JPO]
