Observed poleward heat transport by mesoscale eddies in the deep Southern Ocean

Abstract

Mesoscale eddies in the Southern Ocean extend from the surface to the deep ocean and contribute to regional and global ocean heat budgets. However, sparse in situ observations have limited estimates of eddy meridional heat transport (EMHT) to the near surface, leaving deep-ocean processes poorly understood. Here we quantify deep eddy kinetic energy (EKE) and EMHT using Argo observations. We find that deep EMHT reaches at least the same order of magnitude as surface transport, despite deep EKE being only one-fifth of surface levels. Float observations and sensitivity experiments reveal that, relative to mean-flow transport alone, deep EMHT extends the meridional movement of subtropical warm waters towards Antarctica by over ten degrees of latitude. About 60% of this deep transport originates from the Indian Ocean sector. These findings provide observational evidence that mesoscale eddies can modulate deep Southern Ocean heat redistribution, with potential implications for Antarctic climate.