EDDY STATISTICS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN

SARACENO, M.

Buenos Aires

Conferencia; SCAR Open Science Conference; 2010

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

The stirring associated with the Brazil/Malvinas Confluence constitutes an important factor setting the characteristics of global deep water masses and therefore plays an important role in global climate variability. Yet the spatio/temporal variability associated to the Confluence is not well known. One of the key factors that contribute to the mixing of the waters is the formation and fate of eddies. In the present study, an objective methodology is applied to detect and follow the eddies in the Confluence region using a database of 16 years of remote sensed Sea Surface Height (SSH) images. Results suggest seasonal and interannual variability in the number of eddies. Eddy genesis shows that the Brazil/Malvinas Confluence is the region where the highest number of eddies is created. Links between these observations and the spatio/temporal variability of the fronts and circulation of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean are discussed.