Heat Balance and Eddies in the Caribbean Upwelling System

The upper-ocean heat budget of the Caribbean upwelling system is investigated during the onset of the Atlantic warm pool (June-September) using high-resolution observations of sea surface temperature and a high-resolution (1/128) regional model. Vertical mixing is found to be the major cooling contribution to the mixed layer heat budget in the nearshore and offshore Colombia Basin. Numerical results show that intense mesoscale eddies in the Colombia Basin significantly shape the turbulent cooling and may participate in the maintenance of cooler temperature in this region compared to surrounding areas. Indeed, increased mixing at the base of the mixed layer occurs below energetic surface jets that form on the downstream side of the eddies. These jets generally flow offshore and may arise from the deformation of the surface mesoscale field. It is shown that significant contribution of horizontal advection to the mixed layer heat budget is limited to a radius of 300 km around the Guajira and Margarita upwelling zones.