TY - JOUR

T1 - Interaction of mesoscale vortices in the Lofoten Basin based on the GLORYS database

AU - Fedorov, Aleksandr M.

AU - Belonenko, Tatyana V.

N1 - Fedorov, Aleksandr M. and Tatyana V. Belonenko (2020), Interaction of mesoscale vortices in theLofoten Basin based on the GLORYS database, Russ. J. Earth. Sci., 20, ES2002, doi:10.2205/2020ES000694

PY - 2020/3

Y1 - 2020/3

N2 - We explore the interaction of mesoscale eddies in the Lofoten Basin of the Norwegian Sea using the GLORYS 12v1 eddy-resolving reanalysis. The Lofoten Basin is the area of the intensive ocean-atmosphere interactions and many mesoscale eddies are formed due to instabilities of the branches of the Norwegian Current. We describe the spatial distribution of kinetic energy, relative vorticity, and Okubo-Weiss parameter during the eddy interaction. Using the approach of turbulent theory, we study the exchange of related eddy kinetic energy (KmKe) and show a strong dependence from a width of window averaging. The KmKe fluxes describe features of interactions between parts of eddies and indicate a difference in the stability of the parts. The most stable parts have positive values of KmKe. They can transfer energy to the less stable parts. In other words, the positive values of KmKe mean transport of kinetic energy from the main fluxes to turbulent pulsations. We demonstrate that the field of relative vorticity of one anticyclonic eddy merging with another one consists of three parts with alternating signs of KmKe. The parts look like two concentric rings surrounding the central part of the eddy. The sign of each part corresponds to gain or loss of kinetic energy. We detect the positive values of KmKe for both the external ring and the central part of the eddy. For the middle ring of the eddy, KmKe is negative. This demonstrates the tendency to the stability of the structure as the result of the merging. And vice versa, positive values of KmKe break the eddy into two parts when splitting. KEYWORDS: Lofoten Basin; mesoscale eddies; vortex interaction; splitting; merging; turbulence; kinetic energy fluxes.

AB - We explore the interaction of mesoscale eddies in the Lofoten Basin of the Norwegian Sea using the GLORYS 12v1 eddy-resolving reanalysis. The Lofoten Basin is the area of the intensive ocean-atmosphere interactions and many mesoscale eddies are formed due to instabilities of the branches of the Norwegian Current. We describe the spatial distribution of kinetic energy, relative vorticity, and Okubo-Weiss parameter during the eddy interaction. Using the approach of turbulent theory, we study the exchange of related eddy kinetic energy (KmKe) and show a strong dependence from a width of window averaging. The KmKe fluxes describe features of interactions between parts of eddies and indicate a difference in the stability of the parts. The most stable parts have positive values of KmKe. They can transfer energy to the less stable parts. In other words, the positive values of KmKe mean transport of kinetic energy from the main fluxes to turbulent pulsations. We demonstrate that the field of relative vorticity of one anticyclonic eddy merging with another one consists of three parts with alternating signs of KmKe. The parts look like two concentric rings surrounding the central part of the eddy. The sign of each part corresponds to gain or loss of kinetic energy. We detect the positive values of KmKe for both the external ring and the central part of the eddy. For the middle ring of the eddy, KmKe is negative. This demonstrates the tendency to the stability of the structure as the result of the merging. And vice versa, positive values of KmKe break the eddy into two parts when splitting. KEYWORDS: Lofoten Basin; mesoscale eddies; vortex interaction; splitting; merging; turbulence; kinetic energy fluxes.

KW - Lofoten Basin

KW - Mesoscale eddies

KW - vortex interaction

KW - Splitting

KW - merging

KW - turbulence

KW - kinetic energy fluxes

KW - splitting

KW - STABILITY

KW - BAROCLINIC INSTABILITY

KW - mesoscale eddies

KW - VORTEX

KW - TRANSPORT

KW - VERTICAL VELOCITY

KW - kinetic energy fluxes

KW - DYNAMICS

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088924270&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/ba946c46-e56c-3821-9b3a-959208a1c8a5/

U2 - 10.2205/2020ES000694

DO - 10.2205/2020ES000694

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85088924270

VL - 20

JO - Russian Journal of Earth Sciences

JF - Russian Journal of Earth Sciences

SN - 1681-1178

IS - 2

M1 - ES2002

ER -