Wind-driven submesoscale subduction at the north Pacific subtropical front

Upper ocean observations from the north Pacific subtropical front during late winter demonstrate the generation of submesoscale intrusions by buoyancy loss. Prior to generation, a sharp thermohaline front was intensified by confluent flow of 1–2 × 10−5 s−1. Relative vertical vorticity, ζ, across a surface‐intensified, along‐front jet on the warm side of a frontal trough was 0.5 f. During the storm, buoyancy loss arose due to cooling of ∼650 W m−2 and down‐front wind stress