Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2018-70 Manuscript under review for journal Biogeosciences Discussion started: 16 February 2018 c Author(s) 2018. CC BY 4.0 License. Imprint of Southern Ocean eddies on chlorophyll Ivy Frenger1,2,3,*, Matthias Münnich2, and Nicolas Gruber2,4 1GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, 24105, Germany. 2ETH Zurich, Environmental Physics, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland. 3Princeton University, Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Princeton, 08544, USA. 4ETH Zurich, Center for Climate Systems Modeling, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland. Correspondence: Ivy Frenger (
[email protected]) Abstract. Although mesoscale ocean eddies are ubiquitous in the Southern Ocean, their spatial and seasonal association with phytoplankton has to date not been quantified in detail. To this end, we identify over 100,000 eddies in the Southern Ocean and determine the associated phytoplankton biomass anomalies using satellite-based chlorophyll-a (Chl) as a proxy. The mean eddy associated Chl anomalies (δChl) exceed 10% over wide regions. The structure of these anomalies is largely zonal, with ± 5 cyclonic, thermocline lifting, eddies having positive anomalies in the subtropical waters north of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and negative anomalies along the ACC. The pattern is similar, but reversed for anticyclonic, thermocline deep- ening eddies. The seasonality of δChl is weak in subtropical waters, but pronounced along the ACC, featuring a seasonal sign switch. The spatial structure and seasonality of δChl can be explained largely by lateral advection, especially eddy-stirring.A prominent exception is the ACC region in winter, where δChl is consistent with a modulation of phytoplankton light exposure 10 caused by an eddy-induced modification of the mixed layer depth.