Ocean eddies may affect climate change
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028048
New Scientist : Besides ocean currents, which have been shown to transport and distribute heat, dissolved carbon dioxide, and other biogeochemical tracers, researchers have now found that giant oceanic whirlpools, called mesoscale eddies, also carry water and heat. Scientists had thought that any heat contained in such eddies dissipated as they traveled. However, using satellite data and floating sensors, Bo Qiu of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and colleagues have determined that the eddies can move as much water as the biggest ocean currents. Because of the large volume of warm water that they can transport, eddies may affect climate change as much as or more than ocean currents do.
