Energy of the jets of the Antarctic circumpolar current and of their eddies in the surface layer of the Southern Ocean

Abstract

Kinetic energy of six jets of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and of the cyclonic and anticyclonic synoptic eddies generated by these jets is studied in application to the surface layer of Antarctic Circle. The study is based on the data of satellite altimeter observations during 1993–2015 available in the Internet (http://aviso.altimetry.fr). Main results of the study: a) five times excess of the mean energy of jets proper over the mean summary (cyclones plus anticyclones) energy of eddies; b) prevalence of the energy of middle jet of Subantarctic Current over energy of the rest ACC jets in the whole of Antarctic Circle; c) two times excess of mean energy of cyclonic eddies over energy of anticyclones in the upper ocean layer.