Biophysical Dynamics of Mesoscale Eddies: Coincident Observations from SWOT and PACE

The overlapping missions of the NASA Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite and NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite provide the opportunity to observe oceanic biophysical interactions from space at unprecedented spatiotemporal scales. We use provisional datasets from these two cutting-edge missions to investigate subseasonal to seasonal variability in the microbial community compositions of subtropical mesoscale eddies. The results highlight the capacity of mesoscale eddies to act as transient ecological niches that restructure the surface marine microbial community. For the first time, the combination of SWOT and PACE enables space-based observations of plankton community composition alongside the physical processes that structure it.