In the deep regions of the western Gulf of Mexico, small long-lived eddies are forming all the time

What is it about?

Oceanic vortices play an essential role in dispersing organisms and transporting heat, salt, nutrients, pollutants, and other tracers. These oceanic features concentrate most of the ocean's energy and are present throughout the sea, even in the remote, cold deep regions. But observing the deep sea is challenging and very expensive. That's where numerical models offer an excellent alternative for studying phenomena in these regions. In a numerical simulation, we can reproduce the formation of deep eddies known as Campeche Escarpment eddies. Using the model, we characterize these eddies, describe the flow conditions, and the mechanisms behind their formation. We find these eddies are a ubiquitous feature of deep dynamics, forming 3-5 CEEs per year. We find these eddies are long-lived, with lifespans EL>150 days, and can travel long distances, up to 800km from the generation site; this means that CEEs can transport tracers, organisms, energy, and pollutants from the continental slope into the abyssal plain of the western Gulf of Mexico (GoM).

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Why is it important?

We reproduce a phenomenon that was observed using RAFOS floats using a numerical model. We found that the model reproduces the region's observed flow patterns, and, more importantly, it reproduces CEEs. Therefore, we can study these deep eddies using this model output.

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