Pizarro-Koch M. auteur aut IRD Pizarro O. auteur aut IRD Dewitte Boris auteur aut IRD Montes I. auteur aut IRD Ramos M. auteur aut IRD Paulmier Aurélien auteur aut IRD Garcon V. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access We investigate the seasonal variability of the southern tip (30 degrees-38 degrees S) of the eastern South Pacific oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) based on a high horizontal resolution (1/12 degrees) regional coupled physical-biogeochemical model simulation. The simulation is validated by available in situ observations and the OMZ seasonal variability is documented. The model OMZ, bounded by the contour of 45 mu M, occupies a large volume (4.5x10(4) km(3)) during the beginning of austral winter and a minimum (3.5x10(4) km(3)) at the end of spring, just 1 and 2 months after the southward transport of the Peru-Chile Undercurrent (PCUC) is maximum and minimum, respectively. We showed that the PCUC significantly impacts the alongshore advection of dissolved oxygen (DO) modulating the OMZ seasonal variability. However, zonal transport of DO by meridionally alternating zonal jets and mesoscale eddy fluxes play also a major role in the seasonal and spatial variability of the OMZ. Consistently, a DO budget analysis reveals a significant contribution of advection terms to the rate of change of DO and the prominence of mesoscale variability within the seasonal cycle of these terms. Biogeochemical processes and horizontal and vertical mixing, associated with subgrid scale processes, play only a secondary role in the OMZ seasonal cycle. Overall, our study illustrates the interplay of mean and (mesoscale) eddy-induced transports of DO in shaping the OMZ and its seasonal cycle off Central Chile. specialized Oxygen minimum zone Eddy fluxes Peru-Chile Undercurrent Oxygen budget Eastern South Pacific PEROU CHILI 032 124 12 8574-8604 2019 2169-9275 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010077384 10.1029/2019jc015201 2169-9275 [F B010077384] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010077384 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers20-09/010077384.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2020-01-07 2025-02-24 fdi:010077384 fre