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Clustering of Floating Tracer Due to Mesoscale Vortex and Submesoscale Fields
Author(s) -
Stepanov Dmitry V.,
Ryzhov Eugene A.,
Zagumennov Alexei A.,
Berloff Pavel,
Koshel Konstantin V.
Publication year - 2020
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 - 10.1029/2019gl086504
Subject(s) - mesoscale meteorology , vortex , cluster analysis , tracer , circulation (fluid dynamics) , divergence (linguistics) , geology , physics , vorticity , meteorology , geophysics , statistical physics , mechanics , statistics , mathematics , linguistics , philosophy , nuclear physics
Abstract Floating tracer clustering is studied in oceanic flows that combine both a field of coherent mesoscale vortices, as simulated by a regional, comprehensive, eddy‐resolving general circulation model, and kinematic random submesoscale velocity fields. Both fields have rotational and divergent velocity components, and depending on their relative contributions, as well as on the local characteristics of the mesoscale vortices, we identified different clustering scenarios. We found that the mesoscale vortices do not prevent clustering but significantly modify its rate and spatial pattern. We also demonstrated that even weak surface‐velocity divergence has to be taken into account to avoid significant errors in model predictions of the floating tracer patterns. Our approach combining dynamically constrained and random velocity fields, and the applied diagnostic methods, are proposed as standard tools for analyses and predictions of floating tracer distributions, in both observational data and general circulation models.