Warm rings in mesoscale eddies in a cold straining ocean
The warm and saline Atlantic Water has long been recognized as being subjected to substantial heat loss during its transit towards the polar regions. In particular, the Lofoten Basin, a subpolar sea with energetic eddy activity and strong air-sea interactions, plays a crucial role in the transformation of Atlantic Water. Vertical heat transport at submesoscales (0.1-10 km) in the Lofoten Basin is potentially a key link in the heat transfer to the atmosphere. Here, based on multi-year Seaglider observations augmented by satellite altimeters, radiometers, and high-resolution numerical model results, we evaluate the oceanic vertical heat transport in the Lofoten Basin and demonstrate how geostrophic strain enhances heat transport. The enhancement is found to be associated with submesoscale ageostrophic motions along the mesoscale eddy edges, occurring on spatial scales smaller than 10 km and below the mixed layer depth. These strain-induced submesoscale vertical motions transport heat from the ocean interior to the surface, leading to a 0.4 °C increase in sea surface temperature and the formation of "warm ring" structures in both cyclones and anticyclones. The dominant role of submesoscale heat transport likely represents the primary mechanism for substantial heat loss from Atlantic Water in the Lofoten Basin.
Authors
- Huizi Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3918-1115)
- Lixin Qu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2956-8949)
- Walker O Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4304-1980)
- James C. McWilliams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1237-5008)
- Bo Qiu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3841-6450)
- Francesco d’Ovidio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9664-7778)
- Ilker Fer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2427-2532)
- Meng Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0023-1303)
- Lia Siegelman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3330-082X)
- Ann Kristin Sperrevik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3667-7913)
- Zhengguang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9032-7629)
- Roshin P. Raj (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5863-5269)
Institutions
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Norwegian Meteorological Institute (NO)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (NO)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NO)
- Laoshan Laboratory
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Shanghai Ocean University (CN)
- Ocean University of China (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-10-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64308-y
- Primary Topic
- Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- European Space Agency
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- Universitetet i Bergen
- Norges Forskningsråd