Eddies in the Arctic Ocean Revealed from MODIS Optical Imagery
Here we investigate properties of ocean eddies in the key Arctic region of the northern Greenland Sea and the Fram Strait using visible and infrared Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua data acquired from April to September in 2007 and 2018–2020. We infer eddy properties using...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2072-4292/15/6/1608/ 2023-08-20T04:04:00+02:00 Eddies in the Arctic Ocean Revealed from MODIS Optical Imagery Evgeny A. Morozov Igor E. Kozlov agris 2023-03-15 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15061608 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Environmental Remote Sensing https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs15061608 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Remote Sensing; Volume 15; Issue 6; Pages: 1608 ocean eddies submesoscale dynamics MODIS Aqua SST chlorophyll-a Fram Strait Greenland Sea Arctic Ocean Text 2023 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15061608 2023-08-01T09:17:23Z Here we investigate properties of ocean eddies in the key Arctic region of the northern Greenland Sea and the Fram Strait using visible and infrared Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua data acquired from April to September in 2007 and 2018–2020. We infer eddy properties using visual identification and automated processing of their signatures in sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) maps, and their gradients. Altogether, 450 (721) eddies were identified in SST (chl-a) data. Their radii span from 2 to 40 km (mean value 12 km). Most eddies are elliptical with a mean aspect ratio (eccentricity) of their axes equal 0.77 (0.64). Cyclones are smaller than anticyclones and prevail in both data sources. Cyclones tend to be more prevalent over shallow shelves, and anticyclones over deep water regions. Peak eddy activity is registered in June, while chl-a data also possess a second peak in April. In SST, the highest eddy probability is found along the East Greenland Current in the Nordbukta region at 76–78°N and along the West Spitsbergen Current at 78–80°N. In chl-a, most of them are observed in the central Fram Strait. The overall number of eddies with a positive chl-a anomaly, dominated by cyclones, is larger (62%) than that with a negative one (~38%). The number of eddies with positive and negative SST anomalies is nearly equal. Eddy translation velocities are 0.9–9.6 km/day (mean value 4.2 km/day). Despite frequent cloud and ice cover, MODIS data is a rich source of information on eddy generation hot-spots, their spatial properties, dynamics and associated SST and chl-a anomalies in the Arctic Ocean. Text Arctic Arctic Ocean East Greenland east greenland current Fram Strait Greenland Greenland Sea Spitsbergen MDPI Open Access Publishing Arctic Arctic Ocean Greenland Nordbukta ENVELOPE(8.005,8.005,63.096,63.096) Remote Sensing 15 6 1608 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
op_collection_id |
ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
ocean eddies submesoscale dynamics MODIS Aqua SST chlorophyll-a Fram Strait Greenland Sea Arctic Ocean |
spellingShingle |
ocean eddies submesoscale dynamics MODIS Aqua SST chlorophyll-a Fram Strait Greenland Sea Arctic Ocean Evgeny A. Morozov Igor E. Kozlov Eddies in the Arctic Ocean Revealed from MODIS Optical Imagery |
topic_facet |
ocean eddies submesoscale dynamics MODIS Aqua SST chlorophyll-a Fram Strait Greenland Sea Arctic Ocean |
description |
Here we investigate properties of ocean eddies in the key Arctic region of the northern Greenland Sea and the Fram Strait using visible and infrared Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua data acquired from April to September in 2007 and 2018–2020. We infer eddy properties using visual identification and automated processing of their signatures in sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) maps, and their gradients. Altogether, 450 (721) eddies were identified in SST (chl-a) data. Their radii span from 2 to 40 km (mean value 12 km). Most eddies are elliptical with a mean aspect ratio (eccentricity) of their axes equal 0.77 (0.64). Cyclones are smaller than anticyclones and prevail in both data sources. Cyclones tend to be more prevalent over shallow shelves, and anticyclones over deep water regions. Peak eddy activity is registered in June, while chl-a data also possess a second peak in April. In SST, the highest eddy probability is found along the East Greenland Current in the Nordbukta region at 76–78°N and along the West Spitsbergen Current at 78–80°N. In chl-a, most of them are observed in the central Fram Strait. The overall number of eddies with a positive chl-a anomaly, dominated by cyclones, is larger (62%) than that with a negative one (~38%). The number of eddies with positive and negative SST anomalies is nearly equal. Eddy translation velocities are 0.9–9.6 km/day (mean value 4.2 km/day). Despite frequent cloud and ice cover, MODIS data is a rich source of information on eddy generation hot-spots, their spatial properties, dynamics and associated SST and chl-a anomalies in the Arctic Ocean. |
format |
Text |
author |
Evgeny A. Morozov Igor E. Kozlov |
author_facet |
Evgeny A. Morozov Igor E. Kozlov |
author_sort |
Evgeny A. Morozov |
title |
Eddies in the Arctic Ocean Revealed from MODIS Optical Imagery |
title_short |
Eddies in the Arctic Ocean Revealed from MODIS Optical Imagery |
title_full |
Eddies in the Arctic Ocean Revealed from MODIS Optical Imagery |
title_fullStr |
Eddies in the Arctic Ocean Revealed from MODIS Optical Imagery |
title_full_unstemmed |
Eddies in the Arctic Ocean Revealed from MODIS Optical Imagery |
title_sort |
eddies in the arctic ocean revealed from modis optical imagery |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15061608 |
op_coverage |
agris |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(8.005,8.005,63.096,63.096) |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Greenland Nordbukta |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Greenland Nordbukta |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean East Greenland east greenland current Fram Strait Greenland Greenland Sea Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean East Greenland east greenland current Fram Strait Greenland Greenland Sea Spitsbergen |
op_source |
Remote Sensing; Volume 15; Issue 6; Pages: 1608 |
op_relation |
Environmental Remote Sensing https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs15061608 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15061608 |
container_title |
Remote Sensing |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
1608 |
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1774714437343641600 |