Visualization and Analysis of Eddies in a Global Ocean Simulation

Abstract

We present analysis and visualization of flow data from a high-resolution simulation of the dynamical behavior of the global ocean. Of particular scientific interest are coherent vortical features called mesoscale eddies. We first extract high-vorticity features using a metric from the oceanography community called the Okubo-Weiss parameter. We then use a new circularity criterion to differentiate eddies from other non-eddy features like meanders in strong background currents. From these data, we generate visualizations showing the three-dimensional structure and distribution of ocean eddies. Additionally, the characteristics of each eddy are recorded to form an eddy census that can be used to investigate correlations among variables such as eddy thickness, depth, and location. From these analyses, we gain insight into the role eddies play in large-scale ocean circulation.