Cite this paper:
SONG Xinxin, YUAN Dongliang, LI Ruixiang, WANG Zheng. Migration of mesoscale eddies across a leaping or penetrating western boundary current in the vicinity of a gap[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2018, 36(6): 2098-2109

Migration of mesoscale eddies across a leaping or penetrating western boundary current in the vicinity of a gap

SONG Xinxin1,2,3, YUAN Dongliang1,3, LI Ruixiang4, WANG Zheng1
1 Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Function Laboratory for Ocean Dynamics and Climate, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China;
2 Key Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, and Laboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China;
3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
4 South China Sea Marine Survey and Technology Center, State Oceanic Administration, Guangzhou 510300, China
Abstract:
A 1.5-layer quasi-geostrophic reduced gravity ocean circulation model is used to study the propagation of mesoscale eddies across a western boundary current (WBC) either leaping across or penetrating in an anti-cyclonic path through the gap. The steady leaping WBC nearly blocks all eddies from propagating across it through the gap completely. However, both cyclonic and anti-cyclonic eddies can migrate across a penetrating WBC in the vicinity of a gap, while inducing an opposite type of eddies on the cyclonic side of the WBC by weakening or strengthening the intrusion of the WBC. Both type of eddies gained strength from the WBC in the course of the propagation across the WBC in the gap. Eddies approaching the gap from the upstream are found to migrate more easily into the western basin due to the advection of the WBC. The migration speeds of the eddies are almost unchanged by the presence of the WBC in all experiments.
Key words:    mesoscale eddy|Western Boundary Current|gap   
Received: 2017-10-25   Revised:
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Articles by SONG Xinxin
Articles by YUAN Dongliang
Articles by LI Ruixiang
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