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Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science

Raj, Roshin P; Halo, Issufo; Johannessen, Johnny Andre; Eldevik, Tor; Nilsen, Jan Even Ø (2016): Mesoscale ocean eddy dataset in the Lofoten Basin from Satellite Altimetry [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.865235, Supplement to: Raj, Roshin P; Johannessen, Johnny Andre; Eldevik, Tor; Nilsen, Jan Even Ø; Halo, Issufo (2016): Quantifying mesoscale eddies in the Lofoten Basin. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 121(7), 4503-4521, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC011637

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Abstract:
The Lofoten Basin is the most eddy rich region in the Norwegian Sea. In this paper, the characteristics of these eddies are investigated from a comprehensive database of nearly two decades of satellite altimeter data (1995-2013) together with Argo profiling floats and surface drifter data. An automated method identified 1695/1666 individual anticyclonic/cyclonic eddies in the Lofoten Basin from more than 10,000 altimeter-based eddy observations. The eddies are found to be predominantly generated and residing locally. The spatial distributions of lifetime, occurrence, generation sites, size, intensity, and drift of the eddies are studied in detail. The anticyclonic eddies in the Lofoten Basin are the most long-lived eddies (>60 days), especially in the western part of the basin. We reveal two hotspots of eddy occurrence on either side of the Lofoten Basin. Furthermore, we infer a cyclonic drift of eddies in the western Lofoten Basin. Barotropic energy conversion rates reveals energy transfer from the slope current to the eddies during winter. An automated colocation of surface drifters trapped inside the altimeter-based eddies are used to corroborate the orbital speed of the anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies. Moreover, the vertical structure of the altimeter-based eddies is examined using colocated Argo profiling float profiles. Combination of altimetry, Argo floats, and surface drifter data is therefore considered to be a promising observation-based approach for further studies of the role of eddies in transport of heat and biomass from the slope current to the Lofoten Basin.
Coverage:
Latitude: 70.000000 * Longitude: 5.000000
Event(s):
Lofoten_Basin * Latitude: 70.000000 * Longitude: 5.000000 * Location: Lofoten Basin
Comment:
The detection of eddies in the Lofoten Basin from satellite altimeter data are done using the automated hybrid algorithm described by Halo (2012). The automated hybrid algorithm described by Halo (2012) combines the closed contours of streamlines of the sea-surface height (Chelton, Schlax, and Samelson 2011) and Okubo-Weiss parameter (Isern-Fontanet, García-Ladona, and Font 2006; Chelton et al. 2007). Eddies were tracked in space and consecutive time-steps with reference to the centres of eddies, in a generalized non-dimensional property space, following the method proposed by Penven et al. (2005). More details given in Raj et al., 2016.
The dataset provides latitude and longitude positions of individual 6983 anticyclonic and 6070 cyclonic eddies identified during the time-period 1995-2013. Eddy properties such as eddy intensity, radius, amplitude,vorticity, translational velocities are also provided.
Parameter(s):
#NameShort NameUnitPrincipal InvestigatorMethod/DeviceComment
1File contentContentRaj, Roshin P
2File nameFile nameRaj, Roshin P
3File formatFile formatRaj, Roshin P
4File sizeFile sizekByteRaj, Roshin P
5Uniform resource locator/link to fileURL fileRaj, Roshin P
Size:
15 data points

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