Study of Mesoscale Eddies Affecting Wind Power Input in the Kuroshio Extension Region
ID：145
Oral Presentation
2027-01-12 16:05 （China Standard Time）
Session：Session 38 - Oceanic (Sub)mesoscale Processes and Their Climate Impacts
Abstract
Wind stress at the sea surface is the main mechanical energy source for large‐scale ocean
circulation. Quantifying this energy transfer—Wind Power Input (wind power input [WPI])—depends strongly
on whether wind stress is based on absolute winds or on relative winds that account for the difference between
wind and surface current. Ignoring the surface current causes a large bias: WPI is overestimated by ∼58% within
mesoscale eddies in the Kuroshio Extension (KE), far higher than the regional mean bias of 17%–35% reported
earlier. Relative wind stress has traditionally been considered to be related to a so‐called “eddy killer” effect,
that is, the wind usually weakens the kinetic energy of mesoscale eddies; however, recent studies indicate that
winds can also enhance eddy development. Based on a coupled air‐sea data set of 6,670 eddies derived from
satellite and reanalysis data (1993–2018), we analyzed eddy lifecycles to evaluate wind‐eddy interactions. The
results indicate that anticyclonic eddies generally receive more wind energy than cyclonic eddies, with input
strongest in winter and weakest in summer. Notably, WPI exhibits a distinct lifecycle dependence: energy input
peaks during the generation stage, declines rapidly during maturity, and remains weak during decay while
retaining its initial sign. This pattern indicates that early wind‐eddy coupling exerts a persistent influence,
followed by a negative feedback in which initial energy input strengthens eddies, but subsequent sea surface
temperature and heat flux changes weaken local winds, promoting decay. These findings improve our
understanding of wind‐eddy energetics in the KE region and offer refined approaches for estimating wind
energy input, with important implications for climate model parameterizations.
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Important Dates
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Jan 30
2026
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Jan 12–15
2027
XMAS 2027