Middleton Leo, Wu Weiguang, Johnston T M Shaun, Tarry Daniel R, Farrar J Thomas, Poulain Pierre-Marie, Özgökmen Tamay M, Shcherbina Andrey Y, Pascual Ananda, McNeill Craig L, Belgacem Malek, Berta Maristella, Abbott Kathleen, Worden Alexandra Z, Wittmers Fabian, Kinsella Alex, Centurioni Luca R, Hormann Verena, Cutolo Eugenio, Tintoré Joaquín, Ruiz Simón, Casas Benjamín, Cheslack Helena, D'Asaro Eric A, Mahadevan Amala
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Sci Adv. 2025 Jul 25;11(30):eadu3221. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adu3221. Epub 2025 Jul 23.
Earth's oceans contain large numbers of cyclonic eddies, 10 to 25 kilometers in diameter and unresolved in climate simulations. However, we lack observations of these features due to their small size and fast evolution. Here, we present in situ observations of one such cyclonic eddy with intense chlorophyll at its center as it spontaneously splits into two smaller cyclonic eddies over a few days. This splitting rapidly transports surface waters to depth, with sustained vertical velocities of 60 meters per day, primarily from the center of the eddy where carbon concentrations are largest, facilitating efficient transfer of phytoplankton carbon to depth, below the well-mixed, sunlit surface layer. We reproduce the splitting process in an idealized ocean model and find that splitting is controlled by the initial elliptical eddy shape, size, and intensity. Our observations uncover a mechanism for subduction in the upper ocean and highlight the need for quantifying its global prevalence.
地球海洋中存在大量气旋式涡旋，直径为10至25公里，在气候模拟中无法解析。然而，由于这些特征尺寸小且演变迅速，我们缺乏对它们的观测。在此，我们展示了对一个这样的气旋式涡旋的现场观测，其中心有强烈的叶绿素，该涡旋在几天内自发分裂成两个较小的气旋式涡旋。这种分裂迅速将表层水输送到深处，垂直速度持续达到每天60米，主要来自涡旋中心，那里的碳浓度最高，促进了浮游植物碳向深度的有效转移，转移到了充分混合的阳光照射表层之下。我们在一个理想化的海洋模型中重现了分裂过程，发现分裂受初始椭圆涡旋形状、大小和强度控制。我们的观测揭示了上层海洋中的一种俯冲机制，并强调了量化其全球普遍性的必要性。
