Observing subsurface changes of two anticyclonic eddies passing over the Izu-Ogasawara Ridge

Eddy-bathymetry interactions are common in the ocean, but the full evolution of the interaction is difficult to observe below the surface. Using 17 Iridium Argo floats, we continually track two anticyclonic eddies (AEs) in the North Pacific that migrate westward and encounter the Izu-Ogasawara Ridge. Based on over 5000 Argo profiles following the two AEs, this study presents the first detailed descriptions of changes in eddy vertical structure and diapycnal mixing as the two AEs pass the Ridge. There, we find that isopycnals dome up and the eddy diameter increases, while the diapycnal mixing is enhanced-to the order of 10(-4) m(2) s(-1) or larger, in comparison with an ambient of 10(-5) m(2) s(-1). The enhanced mixing around the AE center in the upper -1000m appears where the underlying bathymetry is shallower than -4000m and is mainly sustained by tidally generated internal waves.