@article{fdi:010086462,
  title = {{M}esoscale eddies in the southwestern tropical {A}tlantic},
  author = {{D}ossa, {A}. {N}. and da {S}ilva, {A}. {C}. and {H}ernandez, {F}abrice and {A}guedjou, {H}. {M}. {A}. and {C}haigneau, {A}lexis and {A}raujo, {M}. and {B}ertrand, {A}rnaud},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he southwestern tropical {A}tlantic is a region of complex ocean dynamic where originates the strong western boundary current system composed of {N}orth {B}razil current and {N}orth {B}razil undercurrent. {T}he region includes a variety of features including the {A}toll das {R}ocas ({AR}) and {F}ernando de {N}oronha ({EN}) ridge that may favour mesoscale eddy dynamics. {H}owever, origin, occurrence and characteristics of mesoscale eddies were still not described in the region. {U}sing satellite altimetry data from 1993 to 2018 off {N}ortheast {B}razil (37-25 degrees {W}; 13-1 degrees {S}), we reconstruct eddy trajectories and analyse the main eddy surface characteristics (e.g., size, amplitude, polarity) and their spatiotemporal variations. {T}he study reveals two distinct dynamic regions before quantifying mesoscale eddies characteristics. {A}pproximately 2000 mesoscale eddies crossed the region during the study period, among which 76% were generated inside the region, with amplitudes and radii ranging between 1 and 2 cm and 25 and 205 km, respectively. {E}ddies are preferentially formed between {A}ugust and {S}eptember and propagate westward. {I}n the region around the {FN} {A}rchipelago (36-26 degrees {W}; 6-1 degrees {S}), the formation of cyclonic eddies is likely favoured by barotropic instabilities of surface currents and the wind stress curl. {O}n the other hand, in the south of the region (36-26 degrees {W}; 12-8 degrees {S}), eddies formation is likely associated with the barotropic instabilities, wind stress curl and the meandering of surface currents. {B}ased on vertical temperature and salinity profiles from {A}rgo floats' data, we determined that in average, the core of cyclonic eddies is centred at similar to 130 m (140 m) in the northern (southern) region while the core of anticyclonic eddies is centred at similar to 90 m (125 m) in the northern (southern) region. {M}oreover, mesoscale eddies formed in the tropical {A}tlantic do not connect the eastern tropical {A}tlantic and northeast {B}razil.},
  keywords = {mesoscale eddies ; eddy characteristics ; southwestern tropical {A}tlantic ; wind stress curl ; barotropic instability ; {ATLANTIQUE} ; {BRESIL} ; {ZONE} {TROPICALE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{F}rontiers in {M}arine {S}cience},
  volume = {9},
  numero = {},
  pages = {886617 [18 p.]},
  year = {2022},
  DOI = {10.3389/fmars.2022.886617},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010086462},
}