Atmospheric Response to Mesoscale Ocean Eddies and Its Feedback onto the Ocean

It has been widely recognized that mesoscale ocean eddies play an important role in the mixing and transport of water properties. However, their direct effects on the overlying atmosphere are not completely understood. Determining the impact of the mesoscale ocean eddies on the atmosphere may have important implication for improving weather and seasonal climate forecast. We examine this impact using both satellite derived observations and high-resolution climate model simulations in the Kuroshio extension region. Our results show that oceanic eddies produce clear imprints in surface wind speed and precipitation, as well as turbulent air-sea heat fluxes and planetary boundary layer height. We further demonstrate that the eddy impact is enhanced during passage of winter storms in the region, suggesting an interaction between atmospheric synoptic storms and ocean mesoscale eddies. We also examine effects of the ocean mesoscale eddy – atmosphere (OME-A) feedback on the ocean by analyzing and comparing ocean eddy statistics in high-resolution climate model simulations with and without OME-A feedback. The results suggest that OME-A feedback can have a significant impact on ocean eddies, which in turn affect the Kurishio front and current.