Trench Eddies in the Northwest Pacific: An Overview

This review is devoted to mesoscale anticyclonic eddies of the Japan, Kuril-Kamchatka, and Aleutian deepwater trenches in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. These eddies play an important role in water circulation in the Western Subarctic Gyre and have a significant impact on the weather, climate, and bioproductivity in the region. The review presents information about trench eddies, including a discussion of the formation, stagnation, motion, deformation, and decay of trench eddies. Using Lagrangian methodology, a complete census of these eddies in the altimetric era was carried out starting from January 1, 1993. Their evolution and origin are studied using Lagrangian maps of various indicators of water motion, which allow identifying eddies, as well as tracking their trajectories and important events in life: birth, capture, and release of water; merging with other vortices and splitting; erosion; and decay. The vertical structure and hydrological characteristics derived from ship surveys and profiles of Argo drifting buoys are discussed and analyzed.

Automated summary

This review focuses on mesoscale anticyclonic eddies in the Japan, Kuril-Kamchatka, and Aleutian deepwater trenches in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. It discusses their formation, motion, evolution, and decay, using Lagrangian methodology to track their trajectories and important events in their life cycles. The review also analyzes the vertical structure and hydrological characteristics of these eddies based on ship surveys and profiles of Argo drifting buoys.