Topic outline
Mesoscale eddies: anticyclones and cyclones in the ocean × SDGs
The oceanic mesoscale eddies have a significant impact on marine biological production through vertical and horizontal circulation, and further understanding of these eddies will contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of marine ecosystems (SDG 14).
The United Nations has designated the decade starting in 2021 as the "Decade of Ocean Science," with the aim of contributing to SDGs. Ocean science, as defined by the UN, includes the field of fisheries.
Oceanic mesoscale eddies
Many mesoscale eddies exist in the ocean, having a great influence on the marine ecosystem.
Mesoscale eddies are roughness of the sea surface
In the Northern Hemisphere, high seal-level area, with the horizontal scale of 20 - 200 km, corresponds to clockwise eddy, and vice versa.
Warm eddies are anticyclones in the ocean
Warm water: low density → High sea level (like iceberg) → high pressure in the ocean near the surface → anticyclone (high-pressure in the atomosphere) in the ocean.
Impacts of mesoscale eddies on phytoplankton
Along the Aleutian Islands
Mesoscale eddies: strongly impact on the ecosystem in the central subarctic North Pacific