The Role of Streamers Associated with Mesoscale Eddies in the Transport of Biological Substances Between Slope and Ocean Waters

Abstract

Publisher Summary With the discovery of mesoscale eddies associated with western boundary currents, it became evident that a major mechanism for the interchange of slope and ocean waters had been found. Prior to recognizing the frequency and magnitude of these eddies, slope, and oceanic water interchange was believed to be because of the ageostrophic relationships associated with the flow of a boundary current. Mesoscale eddies, both of the warm and cold core type, offer another exchange system that is called “entrainment.” This mechanism is initiated when meanders of the Gulf Stream pinch off to form an eddy that entrains either slope or Sargasso Sea water. The relative importance of the two processes is not known, but a distinction can be made among the large scale in shore boundary of a flow, such as the Gulf Stream and intermittent mesoscale eddies that cause more rapid exchange. With the advent of satellites that measure ocean color and temperature, a third mechanism for slope/ocean interchange has appeared which is called “the streamer mechanism.” The chapter also presents the observations of a streamer using satellite imagery and oceanographic measurements.