Eddy Heat and Freshwater Transports by Eddy Movement: 1/16 degree ECCO2 Product Charles Dong, Univ. of California, Los Angeles Yu Liu, IARC, Univ. of Alaska Dimitris Menemenlis JPL, NASA Oct. 31, 2012

(Chelton et al, 2011) 1) Both cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies move westward 2) cyclonic eddies deflect northward and anticyclonic eddies southward. 3) Each eddy carries Temperature (salinity) Anomalies 4) When the eddy moves, it transports heat and freshwater

Heat Transport by Cyclonic and Anticylconic Eddies Zonal Direction: Offset Each Other Meridional Direction: Enhance Each Other Cyclonic Anticyclonic Cyclonic Anticyclonic

Satellite altimeter SSHA data are used to identify and track individual eddies, and vertical profiles from co-located Argo floats are used to calculate T/S anomalies. Number of Argo profiles within cyclonic (upper) and anticyclonic eddies (lower) (the bin size is 5° x 5°)

T/S anomalies inside individual eddies (with respect to the ambient water) occur due to geostrophic uplift and depression of the background pycnocline vertical profiles associated with cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, respectively. The sign of the T/S anomaly tends to be opposite for these two eddy types. The T/S anomalies tend to move with the eddies due to advective trapping of interior water parcels, so eddy movement induces heat and salt transports.

Heat and Salt transport by Eddy Movement Meridional Zonal

Comparison with Eulerian Methods: zonally-integrated, time-averaged meridional heat transports

Use 1/16 degree ECCO2 product to calculate Eddy Movement Induced Heat and Freshwater Transport (Ongoing)

Bowl-shaped Cone-shaped Lens-shaped Dong et al (2012, JGR) Detected Eddy Data can be used to Study Eddy Structure