2026/06/19 by Sijia Zou, Amy S. Bower, Xiaoyu Jia +4
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Anticyclone #Boundary current #Climate variability and models #Convection #Current (fluid) #Deep convection #Eddy #Ocean current #Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes #Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones Research
paper · doi:10.1175/jpo-d-25-0193.1
openalex publication_date 2026/06/19 · openalex created_date 2026/06/20 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16
Abstract Using a 1/20° ocean general circulation model, this study investigates eddies generated along the Irminger Current west of the Reykjanes Ridge and their impacts on upper-layer (100–1000 m) restratification of the interior Irminger Sea following wintertime convection. From 2008 to 2018, 647 cyclones and 403 anticyclones are generated in the Irminger Current in the model, both carrying relatively warm waters compared to the convective interior and thus are potential buoyancy sources. However, trajectories of these coherent eddies reveal that they rarely reach the deep convection site, precluding a direct contribution to restratification therein. A heat budget analysis in the convection region indicates that the mean-state heat gain during the restratification period (April–November) is mostly accomplished by locally generated eddies. On interannual time scale, however, the variability in heat gain is modulated by seasonal and interannual fluctuations in local circulation and temperature. Although the Irminger Current eddies do not penetrate the convection site, they play an important, though indirect, role in restratification. Specifically, they facilitate substantial heat transport from the boundary current into a transition zone—the general area between the boundary current and the convective interior—where heat is subsequently advected into the deep convection site by locally generated eddies (in the long-term mean) or circulation (on interannual time scale). This study thus elucidates the heat pathway from an eddy-rich buoyant boundary current to the deep convection region in the Irminger Sea, highlighting the interplay between remote and local processes in restratification.