Current feedback in an anticyclonic eddy during the passage of cold frontal systems over the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

<p align="justify">In autumn and winter, the dynamics and thermodynamics of the anticyclonic eddies detached from the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico are strongly influenced by the passage of cold fronts and Northerly winds. In turn, the interaction between the wind and these anticyclonic eddies modulates vertical nutrient fluxes, biomass, and phytoplankton community distribution at mesoscale and sub-mesoscale. In this work, the physical mechanisms of eddy-cold front interactions are analysed based on high-resolution (3 km) numerical simulations of the NEMO (Nucleous for European Modeling of the Ocean) model, contrasting simulations that partially include or not the effect of ocean currents on the wind stress (the so-called current feedback). This analysis is part of a work in progress focused on developing and implementing a high-resolution ocean-atmosphere coupled model for the Gulf of Mexico.</p>