The role of submesoscale currents in structuring marine ecosystems

Marina Lévy (), Peter J. S. Franks and K. Shafer Smith
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Marina Lévy: Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LOCEAN, SU/CNRS/IRD/MNHN)
Peter J. S. Franks: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego
K. Shafer Smith: Center for Atmosphere Ocean Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract From microbes to large predators, there is increasing evidence that marine life is shaped by short-lived submesoscales currents that are difficult to observe, model, and explain theoretically. Whether and how these intense three-dimensional currents structure the productivity and diversity of marine ecosystems is a subject of active debate. Our synthesis of observations and models suggests that the shallow penetration of submesoscale vertical currents might limit their impact on productivity, though ecological interactions at the submesoscale may be important in structuring oceanic biodiversity.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07059-3

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