Mesoscale eddies in the Subantarctic Front-Southwest Atlantic

Glorioso, Pablo D.; Piola, Alberto R.; Leben, R. R.

doi:10.3989/scimar.2005.69s27

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The ocean is a turbulent fluid, and turbulent eddy motions are ubiquitous in marine ecosystems (Olson, 1980(Olson, , 1991Glorioso et al, 2005). One is easily convinced of the biological relevance of eddy motions when looking at satellite images of ocean surface colour.…”

Section: Mesoscale Eddiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fronts and eddies as key structures in the habitat of marine fish larvae: opportunity, adaptive response and competitive advantage

2006

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SUMMARY: Surface fronts and mesoscale eddies are two classes of ocean structures that engender significant pattern in the habitats of marine organisms. Both are sites where mechanical energy of the physical system may be accessible for augmenting trophic energy available to biological organisms. Accordingly, they may offer opportunities for exceptional local productivity and growth of species particularly adapted to excelling in such highly-productive rapid-growth/high-mortality situations. The major relevant physical mechanisms involved are presented. A widespread attraction of many types of fish to floating objects drifting in the ocean is cited as an apparent adaptive response to the desirable aspects of surface fronts. An apparent contrary tendency for certain important marine fish species to be particularly successful in relatively poorly productive situations, where slower growth may be offset by much lower early life predation mortality, is also noted. Competing tradeoffs between (1) early life nutrition and resulting growth, and (2) mortality of early stages due to predation are suggested. These tradeoffs are posed and illustrated via a "predator pit" conceptual framework. Illustrations of the evident reproductive habitat choices of several populations of large temperate tunas are briefly presented. It is concluded that the time may have come for a general shift in the approach of at-sea fish larval ecological investigations from the conventional focus on associations with environmental properties on a "macro" scale to intensive investigations of the real-time progressions of linked physical-biological interactions occurring on a "meso" (and smaller) scale.Keywords: population dynamics, fisheries oceanography, convergence zones, divergence zones, upwelling, predator pits, ecological succession, tuna spawning areas. RESUMEN: FRENTES Y REMOLINOS COMO ESTRUCTURAS CLAVE EN EL HABITAT DE LAS LARVAS DE PECES MARINOS:OPORTUNI-DAD, RESPUESTA ADAPTATIVA Y VENTAJA COMPETITIVA. -Los frentes superficiales y los remolinos de mesoescala son dos tipos de estructuras de mesoescala que producen patrones significativos en los hábitats de los organismos marinos. Ambos son notables por ser lugares en los que la energía mecánica del sistema físico puede ser accesible para aumentar la energía tró-fica disponible para los organismos biológicos. Por consiguiente, pueden ofrecer oportunidades para que se produzcan producciones y crecimientos localmente excepcionales de especies particularmente adaptadas a sobresalir en tales situaciones de alta producción/rápido crecimiento/alta mortalidad. Los mecanismos físicos de mayor relevancia involucrados son elaborados. La amplia atracción de muchos tipos de peces por objetos flotantes que derivan en el océano ha sido señalada como una aparente respuesta adaptativa a los aspectos deseables de los frentes superficiales. Existe una tendencia aparentemente contraria para ciertas importantes especies de peces marinas que son particularmente exitosas en situaciones productivas relativamente p...

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Section: Mesoscale Eddiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fronts and eddies as key structures in the habitat of marine fish larvae: opportunity, adaptive response and competitive advantage

2006

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“…The peak in chlorophyll concentration (up to 3 mg/m 3 ) detected at 46.8º W is associated with a strong reduction in the SLA, varying from +15/25 cm in the surrounding waters to almost -13 cm in the vicinity of the chlorophyll peak. This SLA feature corresponds to a cyclonic eddy whereas for the same area [6] found biological activity associated with anticyclonic eddies.…”

Section: Expendable Bathythermograph (Xbt) Datamentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Also, eddies contribute to transport biogeochemical properties from coastal areas into deep waters in the DP, where the coastal margins play an important role in the global carbon cycle [5]. Recent studies in the southern southwest Atlantic [6] combined altimeter Sea Level Anomaly maps (SLA), Seaviewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor images (SeaWiFS) and insitu measurements. They analyzed the eddy activity on the northeast side of DP and concluded the necessity of addressing the mesoscale eddies as a mechanism of transport of properties and its influence on the regional circulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing and following eddies in drake passage

Gómez-Enri

Quartly

Navarro

et al. 2007

2007 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

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Abstract-Drake Passage, the gap between South America and Antarctica, is a very energetic region, with strong currents and numerous eddies. These eddies are important for mixing waters across the main three fronts, and for affecting the biological productivity in the region. We use weekly maps of color images, sea level anomaly and geostrophic velocities to characterize physical and biological activity in the region surrounding Drake Passage. In particular, we note that the largest eddy kinetic energy occurs to the east of the passage and is principally in the area bounded by the mean Subantarctic Front (SAF) and the mean Polar Front, whilst the biological productivity is highest in coastal regions, with the SAF acting as a clear southern boundary. In a number of cases, cyclonic eddies detected by altimetry also show a strong signature in ocean color. Regular XBT (eXpendable BathyThermograph) surveys provide information on sub-surface structure, confirming the altimetric identification of features and showing that they often contain water masses originating from the other side of the front.

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“…A potential invader from cold northern hemisphere waters will have problems to cross tropical regions in ballast water or as a fouling organism on a ship`s hull (Gollatsch et al 1999), and for any invader it is difficult to penetrate the barrier of the Polar Front, which may, however, occur in an eddy of the ACC as it happens in other fronts (Glorioso et al 2005). However, even if they succeed to cross the PF, another problem is survival.…”

Section: Biological Heritage Of the Pastmentioning

confidence: 99%