The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences (XMAS 2025)

Oceanic eddies play a significant role in regulating marine ecosystems and climate. In the Kuroshio Extension, high eddy kinetic energy (EKE) is generated through both barotropic and baroclinic instabilities. However, the long-term trend of EKE in the Kuroshio Extension remains poorly ecosystems. Using satellite observations and high-resolution reanalysis data, we identify a "sandwich-like" EKE trend structure, characterized by alternating positive-negative-positive trends in the region. This pattern is driven by the Kuroshio large meander and the baroclinic instability, which exhibit a positive-negative trend structure due to a poleward shift of the Kuroshio Extension. Our study sheds light on the dynamic processes underlying the EKE trend in this region.
 

eddy kinetic energy trend, Kuroshio Extension, baroclinic instability, poleward shift