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arXiv · 2111.14117

Quasi-Objective Eddy Visualization from Sparse Drifter Data

Alex P. Encinas Bartos·Nikolas O. Aksamit·George Haller
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Abstract

We employ a recently developed single-trajectory Lagrangian diagnostic tool, the trajectory rotation average $ (\mathrm{\overline{TRA}}) $, to visualize oceanic vortices (or eddies) from sparse drifter data. We apply the $ \mathrm{\overline{TRA}} $ to two drifter data sets that cover various oceanographic scales: the Grand Lagrangian Deployment (GLAD) and the Global Drifter Program (GDP). Based on the $ \mathrm{\overline{TRA}} $, we develop a general algorithm that extracts approximate eddy boundaries. We find that the $ \mathrm{\overline{TRA}} $ outperforms other available single-trajectory-based eddy detection methodologies on sparse drifter data and identifies eddies on scales that are unresolved by satellite-altimetry.

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Alex P. Encinas Bartos, Nikolas O. Aksamit, George Haller. 2021-11-28. Quasi-Objective Eddy Visualization from Sparse Drifter Data. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0099859

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