# Imprint of Mesoscale Eddies on Air-Sea Interaction in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean
## 3 Results
### Eddy-Induced SST Anomalies and Composite Analysis
#### 3.2.3 Impact of Eddies on Latent Heat, Sensible Heat and Infrared Flux Anomalies  
The spatial distribution of LHF, SHF and IRF anomalies within eddies is similar to that of SST anomalies. The maximum magnitude of the eddy-induced anomalies reaches up to \(\pm\)10 W m\({}^{-2}\) for LHF, \(\pm\)4 W m\({}^{-2}\) for SHF, and \(\pm\)2 W m\({}^{-2}\) for IRF (Figure 10a-f), representing 10 to 35% of the heat fluxes variability. These results can be compared with previously studied regions of strong instabilities and high EKE, such as in the Agulhas Current retroflection, eddy-associated heat fluxes can reach \(\pm\)20 W m\({}^{-2}\)[10]. Similarly, in the confluence of the Brazil-Malvinas confluence, LHF in some eddies can reach \(\pm\)80 W m\({}^{-2}\)[34].  
Eddy-induced heat flux anomalies are quasi-linear functions of eddy-induced SST anomalies (e.g., [48]) as shown by the bulk formulae relating LHF/SHF and SST (see Section 2). A relationship was established between eddy-induced SST anomalies and corresponding latent and sensible heat flux anomalies to better understand the coupling between SST and heat flux over eddies in the TAO. Eddy-induced SST anomalies were binned into 0.1 \({}^{\circ}\)C intervals, and the corresponding average heat flux anomalies were computed within each interval. As shown in Figure 11, significant linear relationships were observed between the eddy-induced SST and LHF/SHF anomalies, with correlation coefficients  
Figure 8: Distribution of (**a,c**) axisymmetric and (**b,d**) non-axisymmetric component of warm-core and cold-core anticyclonic eddies. Rotation direction of eddies are indicated in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere on black circles.  
Figure 9: Distribution of (**a,c**) axisymmetric and (**b,d**) non-axisymmetric component of warm-core and cold-core cyclonic eddies. Rotation direction of eddies are indicated in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere on black circles.  
of 0.94 and 0.93, respectively. On average, the coupling strengths are \(\sim\)25 W m\({}^{-2}\)\({}^{\circ}\)C\({}^{-1}\) and \(\sim\)8 W m\({}^{-2}\)\({}^{\circ}\)C\({}^{-1}\) for LHF and SHF anomalies, respectively (Figure 11). However, it is important to note that heat fluxes are also influenced by other factors such as wind speed or the vertical temperature and moisture gradients between the ocean surface and the lower atmosphere (stratification). Additionally, the magnitude of heat fluxes over eddies are likely linked to eddy properties such as amplitude and radius, as previously reported by [10]. Larger amplitude eddies are generally associated with higher SST anomalies and stronger turbulent flux anomalies (not shown).  
The LHF and SHF anomalies within eddies are proportional to the eddy-induced SST anomalies, resulting in similar spatial characteristics for composite averages of these heat flux anomalies (Figure 12) compared to those observed for SST anomalies (Figure 7). The highest heat-flux anomalies are observed close to eddy periphery with maximum values of \(\sim\)\(\pm\)8 W m\({}^{-2}\) and \(\sim\)\(\pm\)3 W m\({}^{-2}\) for LHF and SHF, respectively (Figure 12a-p).  
Figure 10: Distribution of (**a,b**) latent heat flux (LHF), (**c,d**) sensible heat flux (SHF) and (**e,f**) ocean infrared flux (IRF) anomalies over warm-core and cold-core eddies. Solid and dashed curves represent the mean annual and extreme (during boreal winter and summer) location of the ITCZ.