Warm-core eddies detached from the Loop Current play a crucial role in transporting substantial heat from the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico. Using satellite altimetric observations, the drivers of the detachment and separation of Loop Current eddies were revealed. A notably elongated Loop Current and the intensified presence of cyclonic eddies west of the Florida Shelf are key factors in the process of eddy detachment. Conversely, for the separation of these eddies, it is crucial that intensified cyclonic eddies occur on both sides of the Loop Current. The co-occurrence of eastern and western cyclonic eddies in the Loop Current bottleneck zone leads to the formation of a large cyclonic structure. The latter seems to prevent newly formed Loop Current eddies from reattaching and can limit the growth of the Loop Current during several months. These findings underscore the crucial role of cyclonic eddies in regulating the detachment and separation of Loop Current eddies.

Sea water thermodynamics is arguably one of the most central and fundamental areas concerning oceanography: how should we measure/interpret something as basic as temperature, salinity, heat and/or energy of sea water? The review is a tour de force by one of the leading experts of the subject area, summarising the development of sea water thermodynamics to date (spanning the author's career), highlights important subtleties that oceanographers should know, and provides interesting outlooks for further directions for investigation. Make no mistake, the review is by no means an easy or a short read, and the material will require time and effort to digest properly. This is likely one of those journeys where there simply is no shortcut, but this is an excellent guide to help those willing to undertake that journey.

This is the first application of a particular mathematical framework to oceanographic observations, which could potentially be used widely for many applications, for example, to data from moorings, autonomous platforms and ocean models, with possible use in observing system optimisation, data assimilation and the analysis of vertically structured ocean processes.