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Fractal and scaling characteristics of the equatorial atlantic currents

  • Analysis of Observations and Methods of Calculating Oceanic Hydrophysical Fields
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Physical Oceanography

Abstract

Observations made during 50 days at nine buoy moorings in the equatorial Atlantic have been used to determine the fractal and scaling characteristics of the Eulerian trajectories of currents. Within the temporal (1–10 days) and spatial range (10–100 km), the trajectories are shown to be isotropic and to have a scaling and fractal dimension that equals 1.2. The data are interpreted in the context of two-dimensional turbulence. The paper examines the multifractal structure of the density of kinetic energy dissipation, which is intermittent within the range from 4 to 100 km. The spectrum of singularities is determined using the method of Legendre transformation of generalized Renyi dimensions, and spectrum parameterization is accomplished using the universal family of Levy's random multifractal measures.

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Authors
  1. G. S. Dvoryaninov
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  2. M. V. Shokurov
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Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.

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Dvoryaninov, G.S., Shokurov, M.V. Fractal and scaling characteristics of the equatorial atlantic currents. Phys. Oceanogr. 7, 127–139 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02509815

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02509815

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