FN Archimer Export Format
PT J
TI Oceanic mesoscale cyclones cluster surface Lagrangian material
BT 
AF Vic, Clement
   Hascoët, Solenne
   Gula, Jonathan
   Huck, Thierry
   Maes, Christophe
AS 1:1;2:3;3:2,3;4:4;5:5;
FF 1:PDG-ODE-LOPS-OH;2:;3:;4:;5:;
C1 Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Univ. Brest CNRS IRD Ifremer, Plouzané, France
   Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
   Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Univ. Brest CNRS IRD Ifremer, Plouzané, France
   Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Univ. Brest CNRS IRD Ifremer, Plouzané, France
   Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Univ. Brest CNRS IRD Ifremer, Plouzané, France
C2 IFREMER, FRANCE
   INST UNIV FRANCE, FRANCE
   UBO, FRANCE
   CNRS, FRANCE
   IRD, FRANCE
SI BREST
SE PDG-ODE-LOPS-OH
UM LOPS
IN WOS Ifremer UMR
   WOS Cotutelle UMR
   copubli-france
   copubli-p187
   copubli-univ-france
IF 5.2
TC 8
UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00750/86181/91436.pdf
   https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00750/86181/91437.pdf
   https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00750/86181/91438.mp4
   https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00750/86181/91439.mp4
LA English
DT Article
DE ;Ocean;mesoscale;clustering;Lagrangian;surface;convergence
AB An asymmetry in the clustering of oceanic surface material has been observed at the submesoscales. Energetic and ephemeral submesoscale cyclonic fronts are associated with convergence zones, hence cluster surface material. Their anticyclonic counterparts do not feature such effect. Yet, at the mesoscale, literature has been contradictory about such an asymmetry. Here, we combine surface drifter trajectories with an altimetry-derived mesoscale eddy database in the North Atlantic to show that mesoscale cyclones contain 24% more drifters than anticyclones. A numerical Lagrangian experiment using a mesoscale-resolving model quantitatively reproduces the observational results. It reveals that particles preferentially cluster in cyclonic regions, both in fronts and eddies. The model further suggests that ageostrophic cyclonic fronts concentrate particles a few days before the eddy formation and detection. Plain Language Summary Earth’s oceans are filled with swirling coherent structures called eddies, whose dominant scales range from 10 to 100 km across. Clockwise-rotating and counter-clockwise-rotating eddies, called anticyclones and cyclones in the northern hemisphere, coexist in the oceans with similar proportions and covered areas. Dominant theories for the life cycle of the largest eddies (mesoscale eddies) have concurred on their kinematic symmetry. However, this symmetry breaks down at the small scales (submesoscale eddies and fronts) and cyclonic structures have been shown to be associated with convergence zones. Here we combined a surface drifter database with a satellite-derived mesoscale eddy database to show that mesoscale cyclones contain significantly more drifters than anticyclones. The use of a numerical Lagrangian experiment, i.e., flow-following inert particles, unveiled that the clustering of particles occurs in the formation stage of the cyclones. This work has implications for our global understanding of the transport of surface material in the oceans, e.g., debris and plastics. 
PY 2022
PD FEB
SO Geophysical Research Letters
SN 0094-8276
PU American Geophysical Union (AGU)
VL 49
IS 4
UT 000765659300091
DI 10.1029/2021GL097488
ID 86181
ER

EF