[AOS21-16] Distribution and interaction of fronts and eddies in the Kuroshio Extension
Keywords:Front, Eddy, Seasonal Cycle, Correlation
Fronts and eddies account for a large portion of mesoscale dynamics in the ocean. Front characters boundary among different water masses, while eddy can maintain a water mass inside its body. The relationship between front and eddy is an interesting scientific question require further investigation. The Kuroshio Extension region is characterized by strong mesoscale energy, which is used to conduct the study investigation the interaction among major mesoscale dynamics. In this study, sea surface temperature and sea level anomaly are used to detect front and eddy, respectively. A 15-year dataset from 2003 to 2018 is applied. The frontal activities are generally higher in the north, on the contrary, the number of mesoscale eddies is decreasing to the north. A prominent seasonal variability is identified for fronts that highest (lowest) frontal activities are identified during spring (summer). On the contrary, the eddy activities are predominately persistent all year round. Daily distribution of front and eddy are analyzed that there is less fronts being found within the perimeter of eddies. Consistently, the frontal filaments within each eddy are composed to generate a total frontal probability (FP) inside eddies. The FP within eddies are lower than outside, indicating the eddies are not favorable for the generation of fronts. The current study offers a first investigate for quantifying the relationship between front and eddy. And both eddies and fronts are unfavorable for generating the other class of dynamics.