Why does the Loop Current tend to shed more eddies in summer and winter?

Yu-Lin Chang; L. Y. Oey

doi:10.1029/2011GL050773

Why does the Loop Current tend to shed more eddies in summer and winter?

Yu-Lin Chang, L. Y. Oey

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The observed seasonal preferences of Loop Current eddy shedding, more in summer and winter and less in fall and spring, are shown for the first time to be due to a curious combination of forcing by the seasonal winds in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The conditions are favorable for the Loop to shed eddies in summer and winter when strong trade winds in the Caribbean produce large Yucatan transport and Loop's intrusion, and concurrently when weak easterlies in the Gulf offer little impediment to eddy shedding. The conditions are less favorable in fall and spring as the trade winds and Yucatan transport weaken, and the strengthening of the Gulf's easterlies impedes shedding.

Original language	English
Article number	L05605
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	39
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL050773
Publication status	Published - 2012 Mar 1

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winter

summer

eddy

trade wind

gulfs

vortices

Caribbean Sea

Gulf of Mexico

eddy currents

intrusion

gulf

sea

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
Geophysics

Cite this

Chang, Y-L., & Oey, L. Y. (2012). Why does the Loop Current tend to shed more eddies in summer and winter? Geophysical Research Letters, 39(5), [L05605]. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL050773

Why does the Loop Current tend to shed more eddies in summer and winter? / Chang, Yu-Lin; Oey, L. Y.

In: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 39, No. 5, L05605, 01.03.2012.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Chang, Y-L & Oey, LY 2012, 'Why does the Loop Current tend to shed more eddies in summer and winter?', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 39, no. 5, L05605. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL050773

Chang Y-L, Oey LY. Why does the Loop Current tend to shed more eddies in summer and winter? Geophysical Research Letters. 2012 Mar 1;39(5). L05605. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL050773

Chang, Yu-Lin ; Oey, L. Y. / Why does the Loop Current tend to shed more eddies in summer and winter?. In: Geophysical Research Letters. 2012 ; Vol. 39, No. 5.

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title = "Why does the Loop Current tend to shed more eddies in summer and winter?",

abstract = "The observed seasonal preferences of Loop Current eddy shedding, more in summer and winter and less in fall and spring, are shown for the first time to be due to a curious combination of forcing by the seasonal winds in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The conditions are favorable for the Loop to shed eddies in summer and winter when strong trade winds in the Caribbean produce large Yucatan transport and Loop's intrusion, and concurrently when weak easterlies in the Gulf offer little impediment to eddy shedding. The conditions are less favorable in fall and spring as the trade winds and Yucatan transport weaken, and the strengthening of the Gulf's easterlies impedes shedding.",

author = "Yu-Lin Chang and Oey, {L. Y.}",

year = "2012",

month = "3",

day = "1",

doi = "10.1029/2011GL050773",

language = "English",

volume = "39",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

issn = "0094-8276",