Abstract
The statistical characteristics and mechanisms of mesoscale eddies in the North Indian Ocean are investigated by adopting multi-sensor satellite data from 1993 to 2019. In the Arabian Sea (AS), seasonal variation of eddy characteristics is remarkable, while the intraseasonal variability caused by planetary waves is crucial in the Bay of Bengal (BOB). Seasonal variation of the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) is distinct along the west boundary of AS, especially in the Somali Current region. In the BOB, larger EKE occurs at the northwest basin from March to May, to the east of Sri Lanka from June to September, and along the east coast of India from November to December. The wind stress work (WW) is further studied to figure out the direct influence of wind forcing on EKE. The WW exerts positive effects on EKE along the west boundary of AS and in the south of India/Sri Lanka during the two monsoon seasons. Besides, the WW also has impact on EKE along the east coast of India in November and December. Eventually, we investigate the characteristics and the driving mechanisms of long lifespan eddies. In the AS, long lifespan anti-cyclonic eddies (AEs) mainly generate in the Socotra, the West Indian Coastal Current and the East Arabian Current regions, while cyclonic eddies (CEs) are concentrated in the northwest region. In the BOB, long lifespan AEs mostly form near the west of Myanmar, while CEs are accumulated at the north and northwest basin. The instabilities caused by Rossby waves, coastal Kelvin waves, seasonal currents, together with wind stress forcing exert enormous efforts on the generation and evolution of these eddies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akuetevi C Q C, Barnier B, Verron J, et al. 2016. Interactions between the Somali Current eddies during the summer monsoon: Insights from a numerical study. Ocean Science, 12(1): 185–205, doi: https://doi.org/10.5194/os-12-185-2016
Al Saafani M A, Shenoi S S C, Shankar D, et al. 2007. Westward movement of eddies into the Gulf of Aden from the Arabian Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 112(C11): C11004, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JC004020
Atlas R, Hoffman R N, Ardizzone J, et al. 2011. A cross-calibrated, multiplatform ocean surface wind velocity product for meteorological and oceanographic applications. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 92(2): 157–174, doi: https://doi.org/10.1175/2010BAMS2946.1
Babu M T, Sarma Y V B, Murty V S N, et al. 2003. On the circulation in the Bay of Bengal during northern spring inter-monsoon (March-April 1987). Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 50(5): 855–865, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0645(02)00609-4
Beal L M, Donohue K A. 2013. The Great Whirl: Observations of its seasonal development and interannual variability. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 118(1): 1–13, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JC008198
Beal L M, Hormann V, Lumpkin R, et al. 2013. The response of the surface circulation of the Arabian Sea to monsoonal forcing. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 43(9): 2008–2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-13-033.1
Bruce J G, Johnson D R, Kindle J C. 1994. Evidence for eddy formation in the eastern Arabian Sea during the northeast monsoon. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 99(C4): 7651–7664, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/94JC00035
Cai Yi, Li Hai. 2011. Study on the relationship between ENSO and tropical Indian Ocean temperature. Marine Science Bulletin, 13(1): 1–9
Chaigneau A, Eldin G, Dewitte B. 2009. Eddy activity in the four major upwelling systems from satellite altimetry (1992–2007). Progress in Oceanography, 83(1–4): 117–123, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2009.07.012
Chaigneau A, Gizolme A, Grados C. 2008. Mesoscale eddies off Peru in altimeter records: Identification algorithms and eddy spatiotemporal patterns. Progress in Oceanography, 79(2–4): 106–119, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2008.10.013
Chaigneau A, Pizarro O. 2005. Eddy characteristics in the eastern South Pacific. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 110(C6): C06005
Chatterjee A, Shankar D, McCreary J P, et al. 2017. Dynamics of Andaman Sea circulation and its role in connecting the equatorial Indian Ocean to the Bay of Bengal. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 122(4): 3200–3218, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC012300
Chelton D. 2013. Mesoscale eddy effects. Nature Geoscience, 6(8): 594–595, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1906
Chelton D B, Gaube P, Schlax M G, et al. 2011a. The influence of nonlinear mesoscale eddies on near-surface oceanic chlorophyll. Science, 334(6054): 328–332, doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1208897
Chelton D B, Schlax M G, Samelson R M. 2011b. Global observations of nonlinear mesoscale eddies. Progress in Oceanography, 91(2): 167–216, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2011.01.002
Chen Jiajia, Cheng Xuhua, Chen Xiao. 2019. Eddy generation mechanism in the eastern South China Sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 38(4): 20–28, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-019-1409-3
Chen Gengxin, Li Yuanlong, Xie Qiang, et al. 2018. Origins of eddy kinetic energy in the Bay of Bengal. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123(3): 2097–2115, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC013455
Chen Gengxin, Wang Dongxiao, Hou Yijun. 2012. The features and interannual variability mechanism of mesoscale eddies in the Bay of Bengal. Continental Shelf Research, 47: 178–185, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2012.07.011
Cheng Xuhua, McCreary J P, Qiu Bo, et al. 2018. Dynamics of eddy generation in the Central Bay of Bengal. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123(9): 6861–6875, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014100
Cheng Xuhua, Xie Shangping, McCreary J P, et al. 2013. Intraseasonal variability of sea surface height in the Bay of Bengal. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 118(2): 816–830, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrc.20075
Cui Wei, Yang Jungang, Ma Yi. 2016. A statistical analysis of mesoscale eddies in the Bay of Bengal from 22-year altimetry data. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 35(11): 16–27, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-016-0945-3
Dandapat S, Chakraborty A. 2016. Mesoscale eddies in the western Bay of Bengal as observed from Satellite Altimetry in 1993–2014: Statistical Characteristics, variability and three-dimensional properties. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, 9(11): 5044–5054, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2016.2585179
Dong Di, Brandt P, Chang Ping, et al. 2017. Mesoscale eddies in the northwestern Pacific Ocean: Three-dimensional eddy structures and heat/salt transports. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 122(12): 9795–9813, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC013303
Dong Changming, McWilliams J C, Liu Yu, et al. 2014. Global heat and salt transports by eddy movement. Nature Communications, 5(1): 3294, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4294
Ducet N, Le Traon P Y, Reverdin G. 2000. Global high-resolution mapping of ocean circulation from TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1 and -2. J. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 105(C8): 19477–19498, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JC900063
Fischer J, Schott F, Stramma L. 1996. Currents and transports of the Great Whirl-Socotra Gyre system during the summer monsoon, August 1993. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 101(C2): 3573–3587, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/95JC03617
Fratantoni D M, Bower A S, Johns W E, et al. 2006. Somali Current rings in the eastern Gulf of Aden. Journal of Geophysical Research:Oceans, 111(C9): C09039
Frenger I, Gruber N, Knutti R, et al. 2013. Imprint of Southern Ocean eddies on winds, clouds and rainfall. Nature Geoscience, 6(8): 608–612, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1863
Geng Wu, Xie Qiang, Chen Gengxin, et al. 2016. Numerical study on the eddy-mean flow interaction between a cyclonic eddy and Kuroshio. Journal of Oceanography, 72(5): 727–745, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-016-0366-0
Han Weiqing, McCreary J P Jr. 2001. Modeling salinity distributions in the Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 106(C1): 859–877, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JC000316
Hu Zifeng, Tan Yehui, Song Xingyu, et al. 2014. Influence of mesoscale eddies on primary production in the South China Sea during spring inter-monsoon period. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 33(3): 118–128, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-014-0431-8
Ivchenko V O, Tréguier A M, Best S E. 1997. A kinetic energy budget and internal instabilities in the Fine Resolution Antarctic Model. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 27(1): 5–22, doi: https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1997)027<0005:AKEBAI>2.0.CO;2
Li Jiaxun, Zhang Ren, Liu Chenzhao, et al. 2012. Modeling of ocean mesoscale eddy and its application in the underwater acoustic propagation. Marina Science Bulletin, 14(1): 1–15
Ma Jing, Xu Haiming, Dong Changming. 2016. Seasonal variations in atmospheric responses to oceanic eddies in the Kuroshio Extension. Tellus A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography, 68(1): 31563, doi: https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v68.31563
Mason P J, Sykes R I. 1978. On the interaction of topography and Ekman boundary layer pumping in a stratified atmosphere. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 104(440): 475–490, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49710444018
Morrow R, Birol F, Griffin D, et al. 2004. Divergent pathways of cyclonic and anti-cyclonic ocean eddies. Geophysical Research Letters, 31(24): L24311, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020974
Okubo A. 1970. Horizontal dispersion of floatable particles in the vicinity of velocity singularities such as convergences. Deep-Sea Research and Oceanographic Abstracts, 17(3): 445–454, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-7471(70)90059-8
Penven P, Echevin V, Pasapera J, et al. 2005. Average circulation, seasonal cycle, and mesoscale dynamics of the Peru Current System: A modeling approach. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 110(C10): C10021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JC002945
Prasad T G, Ikeda M. 2001. Spring evolution of Arabian Sea high in the Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 106(C12): 31085–31098, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JC000314
Rao R R, Girish Kumar M S, Ravichandran M, et al. 2010. Interannual variability of Kelvin wave propagation in the wave guides of the equatorial Indian Ocean, the coastal Bay of Bengal and the southeastern Arabian Sea during 1993–2006. Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 57(1): 1–13, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2009.10.008
Sadarjoen I A, Post F H. 1999. Geometric methods for vortex extraction. In: Data Visualization’99. Vienna: Springer, 53–62
Sadarjoen I A, Post F H. 2000. Detection, quantification, and tracking of vortices using streamline geometry. Computers & Graphics, 24(3): 333–341
Schott F A, McCreary J P. 2001. The monsoon circulation of the Indian Ocean. Progress in Oceanography, 51(1): 1–123, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00083-0
Shankar D, Shetye S R. 1997. On the dynamics of the Lakshadweep high and low in the southeastern Arabian Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 102(C6): 12551–12562, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/97JC00465
Shankar D, Vinayachandran P N, Unnikrishnan A S. 2002. The monsoon currents in the North Indian Ocean. Progress in Oceanography, 52(1): 63–120, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(02)00024-1
Sreenivas P, Gnanaseelan C, Prasad K V S R. 2012. Influence of El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole on sea level variability in the Bay of Bengal. Global and Planetary Change, 80–81: 215–225
Sun Jia, Wang Guihua, Xiong Xuejun, et al. 2020. Impact of warm mesoscale eddy on tropical cyclone intensity. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 39(8): 1–13, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-020-1617-x
Suresh I, Vialard J, Izumo T, et al. 2016. Dominant role of winds near Sri Lanka in driving seasonal sea level variations along the west coast of India. Geophysical Research Letters, 43(13): 7028–7035, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069976
Suresh I, Vialard J, Lengaigne M, et al. 2013. Origins of wind-driven intraseasonal sea level variations in the North Indian Ocean coastal waveguide. Geophysical Research Letters, 40(21): 5740–5744, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL058312
Tong Kai, Liu Jinfang, Yan Ming, et al. 2003. Space-time characteristic analysis of wind field over the south Indian Ocean. Marine Science Bulletin, 5(2): 5–13
Trott C B, Subrahmanyam B, Chaigneau A, et al. 2018. Eddy tracking in the northwestern Indian Ocean during southwest monsoon regimes. Geophysical Research Letters, 45(13): 6594–6603, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL078381
Valsala V K, Rao R R. 2016. Coastal Kelvin waves and dynamics of Gulf of Aden eddies. Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 116: 174–186, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2016.08.003
Vic C, Roullet G, Carton X, et al. 2014. Mesoscale dynamics in the Arabian Sea and a focus on the Great Whirl life cycle: A numerical investigation using ROMS. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 119(9): 6422–6443, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC009857
Weiss J. 1991. The dynamics of enstrophy transfer in two-dimensional hydrodynamics. Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 48(2–3): 273–294, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-2789(91)90088-Q
Wentz F J, Scott J, Hoffman R, et al. 2015. Remote sensing systems cross-calibrated multi-platform (CCMP) 6-hourly ocean vector wind analysis product on 0.25 deg grid, version 2.0. Santa Rosa, CA: Remote Sensing Systems
Willett C S, Leben R R, Lavín M F. 2006. Eddies and tropical instability waves in the eastern tropical Pacific: A review. Progress in Oceanography, 69(2–4): 218–238, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2006.03.010
Yang Guang, Wang Fan, Li Yuanlong, et al. 2013. Mesoscale eddies in the northwestern subtropical Pacific Ocean: Statistical characteristics and three-dimensional structures. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 118(4): 1906–1925, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrc.20164
Yang Guang, Yu Weidong, Yuan Yeli, et al. 2015. Characteristics, vertical structures, and heat/salt transports of mesoscale eddies in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 120(10): 6733–6750, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JC011130
Zhang Zhiwei, Tian Jiwei, Qiu Bo, et al. 2016. Observed 3D structure, generation, and dissipation of oceanic mesoscale eddies in the South China Sea. Scientific Reports, 6(1): 24349, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep24349
Zhang Zhengguang, Wang Wei, Qiu Bo. 2014a. Oceanic mass transport by mesoscale eddies. Science, 345(6194): 322–324, doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1252418
Zhang Zhiwei, Zhong Yisen, Tian Jiwein, et al. 2014b. Estimation of eddy heat transport in the global ocean from Argo data. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 33(1): 42–47, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-014-0421-x
Zu Tingting, Wang Dongxiao, Yan Changxiang, et al. 2013. Evolution of an anticyclonic eddy southwest of Taiwan. Ocean Dynamics, 63(5): 519–531, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-013-0612-6
Acknowledgements
The satellite altimeter data are produced by Ssalto/Duacs and distributed by CMEMS (https://www.resources.marine.copernicus.eu/products). The Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform wind data are produced and distributed by RSS (http://wvww.remss.com/measurements/ccmp/).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Foundation item: The National Key Research and Development Program of China under contract No. 2019YFC1510000; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41976019 and 41906009.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sun, C., Wang, X., Zhang, A. et al. Statistical characteristics and mechanisms of mesoscale eddies in the North Indian Ocean. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 41, 27–40 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1969-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1969-x