Resumo

TED STRUB, P.. ANTICYCLONIC EDDIES IN THE ALASKA GYRE (AND CAPE HORN CURRENT?). Gayana (Concepc.) [online]. 2004, vol.68, n.2, suppl., pp. 552-555. ISSN 0717-6538.  doi: 10.4067/S0717-65382004000300042.

Sea surface height (SSH) fields, constructed from multiple altimeters, have revealed the annual generation of anticyclonic eddies around the Alaska Gyre. These eddies appear to develop annually along the eastern margin of the Gyre from instabilities in the poleward Alaska Current, after it reaches its seasonal maximum in transport in winter. After forming, the eddies propagate westward just offshore of the continental slope, where they draw shelf water containing nutrients and phytoplankton into the deep offshore waters, as seen by the SeaWiFS satellite ocean color sensor. In this manner, they enrich a region of the ocean that is dominated by downwelling-favorable wind forcing. Off Chile, the Cape Horn Current is the analog of the Alaska Current, flowing poleward and driven by cyclonic winds, associated with winter storms. In this presentation we will use satellite fields of SSH and Chlorophyll-a pigment concentrations to examine the relatively unstudied Cape Horn Current and compare its seasonal behavior to the Alaska Current. We will specifically look for anticyclonic eddies, similar to those in the Alaska Gyre