Articles | Volume 21, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1141-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1141-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
25 Jun 2025
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 25 Jun 2025
| 25 Jun 2025
The satellite chlorophyll signature of Lagrangian eddy trapping varies regionally and seasonally within a subtropical gyre
Alexandra E. Jones-Kellett
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
Michael J. Follows
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Ocean eddies can limit horizontal mixing, potentially isolating phytoplankton populations and affecting their concentration. We used two decades of satellite data and computer simulations to identify and track eddy-trapping boundaries in the Pacific Ocean for application in phytoplankton research. Although some eddies trap water masses for months, many continuously mix with surrounding waters. A case study shows how eddy trapping can enhance the signature of a phytoplankton bloom.
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Ocean eddies can limit horizontal mixing, potentially isolating phytoplankton populations and affecting their concentration. We used two decades of satellite data and computer simulations to identify and track eddy-trapping boundaries in the Pacific Ocean for application in phytoplankton research. Although some eddies trap water masses for months, many continuously mix with surrounding waters. A case study shows how eddy trapping can enhance the signature of a phytoplankton bloom.
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Co-editor-in-chief
This paper is of high quality, it exemplifies the complexity of detecting ocean eddies (eulerian versus lagrangian, importance of the code parameters of the regions considered), it acknowledges the fact that not all ocean eddies are the same (dynamically talking), and that their effect on plankton is complex. The method presented is well-described, powerful and would allow digging into these biophysical interactions in many different oceanographic settings. It shows that the common view following seminal papers by e.g. McGillicuddy and D. Chelton that consists of "cyclonic eddies -> isopycnals shaoling -> increase phytoplankton biomass" versus "anticyclonic eddies -> isopycnal deepening -> decreased phytoplankton biomass" is too simplistic and needed to be updated.
This paper is of high quality, it exemplifies the complexity of detecting ocean eddies (eulerian...
Short summary
Eddies are rotating ocean vortices up to hundreds of kilometers in diameter that stimulate phytoplankton blooms. We used satellite data and simulations of currents to examine the effect of eddy trapping strength on phytoplankton concentration in the open North Pacific Ocean. Coherent eddies trap phytoplankton, while "leaky" ones have lower concentrations because they mix with surrounding waters. However, contrary to previous theory, eddy-trapped blooms are more prominent in southern latitudes.
Eddies are rotating ocean vortices up to hundreds of kilometers in diameter that stimulate...
