Vic C. auteur aut IRD Hascoet S. auteur aut IRD Gula J. auteur aut IRD Huck T. auteur aut IRD Maes Christophe auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access An asymmetry in the clustering of oceanic surface material has been observed at the submesoscales. Energetic and ephemeral submesoscale cyclonic fronts are associated with convergence zones, hence cluster surface material. Their anticyclonic counterparts do not feature such an effect. Yet, at the mesoscale, literature has been contradictory about such an asymmetry. Here, we combine surface drifter trajectories with an altimetry-derived mesoscale eddy database in the North Atlantic to show that mesoscale cyclones contain 24% more drifters than anticyclones. A numerical Lagrangian experiment using a mesoscale-resolving model quantitatively reproduces the observational results. It reveals that particles preferentially cluster in cyclonic regions, both in fronts and eddies. The model further suggests that ageostrophic cyclonic fronts concentrate particles a few days before the eddy formation and detection. specialized Ocean mesoscale clustering Lagrangian surface convergence ATLANTIQUE 032 020 49 4 e2021GL097488 [9 ] 2022 0094-8276 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010084397 10.1029/2021gl097488 0094-8276 [F B010084397] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010084397 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2022-04/010084397.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2022-04-06 2025-02-24 fdi:010084397 fre