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https://theconversation.com/a-monster-eddy-current-is-spinning-into-existence-off-the-coast-of-sydney-will-it-bring-a-new-marine-heatwave-216625>
"Right now, there’s something big spinning off the coast from Sydney – a giant
rotating vortex of sea water, powerful enough to dominate the ocean currents
off south-eastern Australia.
Oceanographers describe these spinning water bodies as “eddies” – but they’re
not the small eddy currents you see in creeks or rivers. Ocean eddies are
enormous. They’re usually hundreds of kilometres across (100–300km), up to 2km
deep and can be visible from space.
It turns out these eddies drive change underwater by spawning marine heatwaves.
Our new research demonstrates the link between a warm ocean eddy and a
record-breaking marine heatwave which struck off Sydney from December 2021 to
February 2022.
Now it’s happening again. An even bigger eddy is forming about 50km off Sydney.
We have just returned from a 24-day research voyage on CSIRO’s research vessel
RV Investigator to explore this monster eddy.
Our estimates suggest this 400km wide beast holds 30% more heat than normal for
this part of the ocean. Its currents are spinning at 8km per hour. And the
temperatures deep underwater are up to 3°C above normal. If it moves close to
shore, it could trigger another coastal marine heatwave."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
