Eddy-induced upwelling off Cape Sao Tome (22 degrees S, Brazil)

The regional ocean off southeast Brazil (20 degrees S-28 degrees S) is known as a current-eddy-upwelling region. The proximity of the Brazil Current to the coast in the Cape Sao Tome vicinities, as well as of its quasi-stationary unstable meanders, suggests the possibility of background eddy-induced upwelling. Such phenomenon can intensify the prevalent coastal upwelling due to wind and topographic effects. In this paper, with the help of a numerical simulation, we provide evidence that eddy-induced upwelling in the absence of wind is possible in this region. The simulation was conducted with a regional configuration of the 3-D Princeton Ocean Model initialized by a feature-based implementation of the Brazil Current and Cape Frio eddy, blended with climatology. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CNPq/CT-PETRO[504750/2004-6]

CNPq

Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP)

Office of Naval Research

Office of Naval Research[N00014-03-1-0411]

Coordenacao de Aperfeicamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

FUNDESPA (Fundacao de Estudos e Pesquisas Aquaticas)

Fundacao de Estudos e Pesquisas Aquaticas (FUNDESPA)