About this Research Topic

Background

There are several "hot spots" in the global ocean-climate system characterized by complex circulation, energetic eddies, intense eddy-current interactions, and abundant fishery resources (e.g. one of them is the northwestern Pacific Ocean). Eddy-current interactions play an important role in the momentum and heat budgets, water mass and nutrient distributions, etc., and thus have great impacts on climate, marine ecology and biology.

Previous studies have shown cases of eddy-current interactions. However, there is globally a lack of studies on the dynamics of the eddy-current interactions and their effects on multi-scale variations in climate and marine ecology and biology. Three-dimensional structures and mechanisms of generation, propagation, energy dissipation and a cascade of eddies are still not clear. How the eddy-current interactions influence the climate or respond to global warming also needs to be explored in deep. In addition, the upwelling/downwelling or mixing effects of eddy-current interactions redistribute the nutrients in the ocean, and it is not clear how it impacts the primary productivity in different ecoregions. It is also not clear how it can influence the plankton community reflected in the changes in biodiversity, abundance and structure. Such a situation highlights the need to study the processes and dynamics of eddy-current interactions in the ocean and its impacts on climate, marine ecology and biology.

The focus of this Research Topic is on studies that use in-situ observation and/or physical-ecosystem coupled models to explore eddy-current interactions in the ocean, with a particular attention to the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and their impacts on climate, ecology and biology. Modeling works on how eddy-current interactions and their impacts on the ecosystem are encouraged. In-situ observational results are especially welcome in this Research Topic.

As such, we welcome contributions that address (but are not limited to) the following themes:

1. Eddy-current interactions: observations, processes, and mechanisms.
2. Impacts/responses of eddy-current interactions on/to climate change.
3. Observations and modeling of biogeochemical processes responses to eddy-current interactions.
4. Distribution of plankton community associated with eddy-current interactions.
5. The impact of eddy-current interactions on the food chain and upper trophic levels.
6. Effects of eddies, currents and their interactions on multi-scale variations in marine ecology and biology.

Keywords: eddy， current， climate change， marine biology， marine ecology, biogeochemical

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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