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Ocean–atmosphere coupling

Mesoscale eddy effects

Interactions between the ocean and atmosphere are complex. An analysis of satellite data from the Southern Ocean reveals a tight coupling of ocean and atmosphere on horizontal scales of around 100 km that modifies both near-surface winds and ocean circulation.

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Figure 1: Vertical ocean velocities induced by an idealized Southern Ocean eddy.

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Correspondence to Dudley Chelton.

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Chelton, D. Mesoscale eddy effects. Nature Geosci 6, 594–595 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1906

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