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Pathways of eddies in the South Atlantic Ocean revealed from satellite altimeter observations
Author(s) -
Fu LeeLueng
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl026245
Subject(s) - eddy , altimeter , geology , sea surface height , ocean current , satellite , ocean surface topography , mesoscale meteorology , climatology , oceanography , ocean dynamics , satellite altimetry , meteorology , remote sensing , turbulence , geography , engineering , aerospace engineering
The majority of the kinetic energy of ocean currents is contained in the mesoscale eddies. The pathways of ocean eddies, which are the “weather” of ocean circulation, are mapped from space using a decade‐long record of sea surface height measured by two simultaneously flying satellite radar altimeters. The speed and direction of the propagation of eddies in the South Atlantic Ocean are presented in the paper. The patterns of the eddy propagation velocity reveal the effects of the interaction between mean flow and eddies with strong influence of bottom topography. The information describes a unique property of the ocean general circulation and serves as a basis for testing ocean models.