The influence of Gulf Stream eddies and meanders on near-surface chlorophyll

To substantiate the influence of eddy-induced Ekman pumping on CHL in Gulf Stream eddies, two separate eddy-resolving physical-biological simulations are compared. The first simulation is forced with a realistic surface stress that includes the influence of ocean surface currents. The second simulation neglects this process. The time evolution of CHL within eddies is very different in these two simulations. The model that includes eddy-induced Ekman pumping generates temporal trends in CHL that are similar to the observations.