Coherence of Eddy Kinetic Energy Variation during Eddy Life Span to Low-Frequency Ageostrophic Energy

Zhisheng Zhang; Lingling Xie; Quanan Zheng; Mingming Li; Junyi Li; Min Li

doi:10.3390/rs14153793

Remote Sensing (Aug 2022)

Coherence of Eddy Kinetic Energy Variation during Eddy Life Span to Low-Frequency Ageostrophic Energy

Zhisheng Zhang,
Lingling Xie,
Quanan Zheng,
Mingming Li,
Junyi Li,
Min Li

Affiliations

Zhisheng Zhang: Laboratory of Coastal Ocean Variation and Disaster Prediction, College of Ocean and Meteorology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Lingling Xie: Laboratory of Coastal Ocean Variation and Disaster Prediction, College of Ocean and Meteorology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Quanan Zheng: Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Mingming Li: Laboratory of Coastal Ocean Variation and Disaster Prediction, College of Ocean and Meteorology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Junyi Li: Laboratory of Coastal Ocean Variation and Disaster Prediction, College of Ocean and Meteorology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Min Li: Laboratory of Coastal Ocean Variation and Disaster Prediction, College of Ocean and Meteorology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14153793
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 15
p. 3793

Abstract

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The evolution of mesoscale eddies is crucial for understanding the ocean energy cascade. In this study, using global reanalysis sea surface velocity data and a mesoscale eddy trajectory product tracked by satellite altimeters, we aimed to reveal the coherence of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) variation to low-frequency ageostrophic energy during the eddy life span. The variation in EKE throughout the eddy life span was highly coherent to that of the seven-day low-passed ageostrophic kinetic energy, with a correlation coefficient of −0.94. The low-frequency ageostrophic motions supplied 38% of the EKE variation in the growing stage of mesoscale eddies and absorbed 42% in the decaying stage. The evolution rate of the EKE during the eddy life span was consistent with the barotropic conversion rate of the low-frequency ageostrophic motions, further confirming the dominant role of low-frequency ageostrophic motions in eddy growth and decay.

Published in Remote Sensing

ISSN: 2072-4292 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/

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