Cold Core Ring

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-005559",
  "term": "Cold Core Ring",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "An eddy that forms when a boundary current meander pinches off and closes, trapping a parcel of colder water in a surrounding ring of warmer water. The ring measures up to 300 kilometers and extends to 4,000 meters depth or the ocean bottom. The colder water in the core tends to be higher in nutrients and more productive than that in the surrounding ring, so they become islands of biological activity as they move through the ocean. Rings form in all oceans and can persist for months to years.",
  "references": [
    "Federal Geographic Data Committee Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard, June 2012 FGDC-STD-018-2012"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/cold-core-ring/"
}