Visual Eddy Analysis of the Agulhas Current

Abstract

Large mesoscale eddies in the ocean can transport a substantial amount of heat and salt over large distances. Using highresolution ICON ocean simulation data, it is possible to detect and track eddies in the ocean and analyze their pathway. In this paper, we focus on the area of the Agulhas Current at the southern tip of Africa and present our results for eddy detection and eddy tracking. The Agulhas Current transports warm and salty water from the Indian Ocean towards the South Atlantic Ocean before it makes a strong turn back into the Indian Ocean. Some eddies associated with this current do not follow this turn back into the Indian Ocean, but travel north-west deeper up the Atlantic. We show how such eddies can be detected and tracked in the ICON model and how far some of them travel over the duration of one year. We also indicate which types of eddies follow these paths and give a visual analysis of eddy properties like volume and temperature.