The most prominent component of my thesis research is the dynamics of jet-scale overturning circulations (JSOCs), which are first discovered using an eddy-resolving ocean model and Argo float trajectories. These JSOCs describe Lagrangian motion. The JSOCs are driven by mesoscale eddy momentum fluxes, analogous to the atmospheric Ferrel Cell. My research shows that these JSOCs play an important role in preconditioning the mixed layer formation in the Southern Ocean, hence for the formation of the Subantarctic Mode Water. In my future work, I would like to explore the interaction between the mesoscale, mixed layers, and air-sea biogeochemical fluxes in the Southern Ocean by using a range of observational data in the context of ocean reanalyses, ocean state estimations (e.g., SOSE) and high-resolution numerical models.

Reference
• Li, Q., S. Lee, and M. R. Mazloff, 2018: Evidence of jet-scale overturning ocean circulations in Argo float trajectories, Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 11,866–11,874. Link
• Li, Q., and S. Lee, 2017: A mechanism of mixed-layer formation in the Indo-western Pacific Southern Ocean: preconditioning by an eddy-driven jet-scale overturning circulation, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 47, 2755–2772. Link
• Li, Q., S. Lee, and A. Griesel, 2016: Eddy fluxes and jet-scale overturning Circulations in the Indo-Western Pacific Southern Ocean, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 46, 2943-2959. Link