Cyclones and Anticyclones in Seismic Imaging

Nearly all the subsurface eddies detected in seismic imaging of sections in the northeast Atlantic have been assumed to be anticyclones containing Mediterranean Water (MW). Fewer MW cyclones have been observed and studied. In this study, the work of previous numerical studies is extended to investig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Physical Oceanography
Main Authors: Barbosa Aguiar, A. C., Menesguen, Claire, Le Gentil, Sylvie, Schopp, Richard, Carton, Xavier
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer Meteorological Soc 2015
Subjects:
Geographic location/entity
North Atlantic Ocean
Circulation/ Dynamics
Small scale processes
Atm/Ocean Structure/ Phenomena
Eddies
Vortices
Observational techniques and algorithms
Acoustic measurements/effects
Models and modeling
Primitive equations model
North Atlantic
Northeast Atlantic
Online Access:https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00281/39190/37746.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-15-0066.1
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00281/39190/
Description
Summary:Nearly all the subsurface eddies detected in seismic imaging of sections in the northeast Atlantic have been assumed to be anticyclones containing Mediterranean Water (MW). Fewer MW cyclones have been observed and studied. In this study, the work of previous numerical studies is extended to investigate some characteristics of layering surrounding MW cyclones, using a primitive equation model with equal diffusivities for salinity and temperature to suppress the effects of double diffusion. It is shown that, after a stable state is reached, both anticyclones and cyclones display similar patterns of layering: stacked thin layers of high acoustic reflectivity located above and below the core of each vortex, which do not match isopycnals. The authors conclude that it should not be possible to distinguish between MW cyclones and anticyclones based on their signature in seismic imaging alone. Complementary information is needed to determine the sense of rotation.

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