Unraveling trapping and stirring contributions to eddy‐induced heat transport in the Agulhas leakage region

Abstract Agulhas leakage, a key driver of global ocean circulation, funnels warm and salty water from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, significantly influencing climate. However, the mechanisms by which mesoscale eddies associated with Agulhas leakage heat transport remain incompletely understood. By analyzing eddy data and Argo profiles from 1993 to 2018, we showed the three‐dimensional structures of mesoscale eddies, which are critical for understanding their role in heat and salt transfer to the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Our findings highlight the distinct roles of anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies in meridional heat transport—primarily via propagation (~ 58%) and stirring of isotherms (~ 25%), respectively. We also show that cyclonic stirring can modify the thermal environment surrounding anticyclones, highlighting its previously underappreciated role in heat transport. These findings enhance our understanding of how Agulhas leakage eddies contribute to interbasin heat flux and highlight the importance of accounting for both trapping and stirring processes when assessing their influence on the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and broader climate variability.