This award will support analytical and numberical studies of eddy-environment interactions. Past theoretical efforts have concentrated on the evolution of isolated eddies on a beta plane. This study will examine: 1. The dynamics of ventilating warm, rings; 2. The interactions of warm rings with western boundary currents; 3. The interactions of rings and neighboring mesoscale phenomena; 4. Warm ring interactions, with western meridional boundaries; and, 5. The structure and dynamics of "thick" eddies. The overall objective is to apply the novel dynamics being developed by the P.I.'s to clarify the dynamical links between eddies and the large scale general circulation.
