Spatiotemporal scales of mode water  transformation in the Sea of Oman

Font, Estel; Portela, Esther; Swart, Sebastiaan; Pinto-Juica, Mauro; Queste, Bastien Y.

doi:10.5194/os-22-387-2026

Articles | Volume 22, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-387-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Advances in ocean science from underwater gliders

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-387-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 1

Research article

|

03 Feb 2026

Research article |

| 03 Feb 2026

Spatiotemporal scales of mode water transformation in the Sea of Oman

Estel Font, Esther Portela, Sebastiaan Swart, Mauro Pinto-Juica, and Bastien Y. Queste

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-387-2026-supplement

Data sets

Exploring the potential of ocean gliders: A pirate-proof technique to illuminate mesoscale physical–biological interactions off the coast of Oman (2015–2016) Bastien Y. Queste et al. https://doi.org/10.5285/697eb954-f60c-603b-e053-6c86abc00062

Argo float data and metadata from Global Data Assembly Centre (Argo GDAC) Argo https://doi.org/10.17882/42182

TOEddies global mesoscale eddy atlas colocated with Argo float profiles R. Laxenaire et al. https://doi.org/10.17882/102877

GEBCO 2023 Grid GEBCO Compilation Group https://doi.org/10.5285/f98b053b-0cbc-6c23-e053-6c86abc0af7b

Global Ocean Gridded L4 Sea Surface Heights and Derived Variables Reprocessed 1993-ongoing EU Copernicus Marine Service Information (CMEMS) https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00148

Model code and software

EstelFont/Transforamtion_Mode_Water: v1.0.0 Estel Font https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16755122

Short summary

In the Sea of Oman, mode waters form at the surface in winter and are trapped beneath a warmer surface layer in spring, linking the surface ocean and the oxygen minimum zone. Using data from ocean gliders, our study examines how this layer evolves. Changes occur along layers of equal density, with brief episodes of vertical mixing, enhanced by eddies. Glider data reveal more variability than monthly means, showing the need for sustained glider observations to understand future ecosystem impacts.