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Ocean science

Eddy effects on biogeochemistry

Nature volume 506, pages 168–169 (2014)Cite this article

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Ocean eddies tens of kilometres in radius can delineate local ecosystems and contribute to biogeochemical budgets. The characterization of three such eddies in a coastal upwelling region provides insight into these wonders of nature.

The eddies surveyed extended several hundred metres in depth and exceeded 100 km in diameter. The authors found that these eddies trapped waters at the time of eddy formation, and propagated westward as biogeochemically anomalous water masses for several months. As the eddies matured, the ecosystems sustained within them modified the properties of the trapped water, consuming nutrients (nitrate and phosphate). However, the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in the eddies was lower than is usually seen elsewhere. This suggests that the eddies harbour nitrate-reducing (denitrifying) bacteria typical of low-oxygen environments.

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Figure 1: An eastern upwelling ocean margin in the Southern Hemisphere.

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  1. Amala Mahadevan is in the Department of Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA.,

    Amala Mahadevan

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  1. Amala Mahadevan
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Correspondence to Amala Mahadevan.

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Mahadevan, A. Eddy effects on biogeochemistry. Nature 506, 168–169 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13048

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