Detection and characterization of submesoscale eddies from optical images: a case study in the Argentine continental shelf

BECKER, FERNANDO; ROMERO, SILVIA I.; PISONI, JUAN P.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Año: 2023 vol. 44 p. 3146 - 3159

0143-1161

Eddies are structures of recognized physical and biogeochemicalrelevance. Because of their small space and time scales, submesoscaleeddy detection is a challenge, and detection methods for thesestructures are scarce. In this study, we detect submesoscale eddies(SME) by means of a method implemented on satellite chlorophylla(CSAT) and sea surface temperature (SST) data from VisibleInfrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and ModerateResolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. The performanceof this method is shown through the characterization ofthe shape and size of the detected eddies. The trajectory andcharacteristics of one particular eddy could be observed for 6days over the Argentine continental shelf. The eddy reached thehighest CSAT concentration (1.52 mg m−3, decreasing to less than0.8 mg m−3 in about 3.5 km), and the lowest SST on the same day itdeveloped its largest size. All SME detected within the study periodare in agreement with cyclonic eddies and have a radius smallerthan the baroclinic Rossby radius of deformation. This paper presentsa workflow for the automated recognition of SME that couldbe applied to other regions with similar characteristics, or differentones with previous changes in the parameters.