The oceanic surface mixed layer is where communication takes place between the oceanic reservoir of heat, freshwater, and carbon dioxide, and the overlying atmosphere in which we live. The exchange of properties and their changes in time and space greatly influence not only the climate state, but also biological productivity, sea level, and ice coverage, to name a few. Thus, knowledge and accurate representation of the processes controlling the dynamics of the mixed layer are vital if we are to understand the coupled ocean-atmosphere system and develop a quantitative theory of it. This field is ripe for new investigation, as new observations are revealing the full complexity of the dynamical behavior of this region of the ocean.

Ferrari, R., and G. Boccaletti. 2004. Eddy-mixed layer interactions in the ocean. Oceanography 17(3):12–21, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2004.26.

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