Abstract
Eddy properties in the Bay of Bengal are studied from 22 a archiving, validation and interpretation of satellite oceanographic (AVISO) data using a sea level anomaly (SLA)-based eddy identification. A geographical distribution and an eddy polarity, an eddy lifetime and propagation distances, eddy origins and terminations, eddy propagation directions and trajectories, eddy kinetic properties, the evolution of eddy properties, seasonal and interannual variabilities of eddy activities are analyzed in this area. Eddies exist principally in the western Bay of Bengal and most of them propagate westward. The polarity distribution of eddies shows cyclones prefer to occur in the northwest and south of the Bay of Bengal, while anticyclones mainly occur in the east of the bay. Five hundred and sixty-five cyclones and 389 anticyclones with the lifetime that exceeds 30 d are detected during the 22 a period, and there is a preference for the cyclones for all lifetime and propagation distances. The kinetic properties of all observed eddies show the average amplitude of the cyclones is larger than that of the anticyclones, whereas that is opposite for average radius, and their average velocities are basically the same. Moreover, the evolution of eddies properties reveals that the eddies with a long lifetime that exceeds 90 d have a significant double-stage feature of the former 50 d growth period and the dying period after 50 d. For the seasonal variability of the eddies, the cyclones occur more often in spring while the anticyclones occur more often in summer. The analysis of long-lived eddy seasonal distributions shows that there is the obvious seasonal variation of the eddy activities in the Bay of Bengal. The interannual variability of an eddy number shows an obvious negative correlation with the EKE variation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Babu M T, Kumar P S, Rao D P. 1991. A subsurface cyclonic eddy in the Bay of Bengal. Journal of Marine Research, 49(3): 403–410
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
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.
Chelton D B, Schlax M G. 2003. The accuracies of smoothed sea surface height fields constructed from tandem satellite altimeter datasets. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 20(9): 1276–1302
Chelton D B, Schlax M G, Samelson R M. 2011. Global observations of nonlinear mesoscale eddies. Progress in Oceanography, 91(2): 167–216
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
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
Doglioli A M, Blanke B, Speich S, et al. 2007. Tracking coherent structures in a regional ocean model with wavelet analysis: application to Cape Basin eddies. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 112(C5): C05043, doi: 10.1029/2006JC003952
Dussurget R, Birol F, Morrow R, et al. 2011. Fine resolution altimetry data for a regional application in the Bay of Biscay. Marine Geodesy, 34(3–4): 447–476
Eigenheer A, Quadfasel D. 2000. Seasonal variability of the Bay of Bengal circulation inferred from TOPEX/Poseidon altimetry. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 105(C2): 3243–3252
Hacker P, Firing E, Hummon J, et al. 1998. Bay of Bengal currents during the northeast monsoon. Geophysical Research Letters, 25(15): 2769–2772
Isern-Fontanet J, García-Ladona E, Font J. 2003. Identification of marine eddies from altimetric maps. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 20(5): 772–778
Isern-Fontanet J, García-Ladona E, Font J, et al. 2006. Non-Gaussian velocity probability density functions: an altimetric perspective of the Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 36(11): 2153–2164
Le Traon P Y, Dibarboure G. 2004. An illustration of the contribution of the TOPEX/Poseidon—Jason-1 tandem mission to mesoscale variability studies. Marine Geodesy, 27(1–2): 3–13
Le Traon P Y, Faugère Y, Hernandez F, et al. 2003. Can we merge Geosat follow-On with TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-2 for an improved description of the ocean circulation?. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 20(6): 889–895
Le Traon P Y, Nadal F, Ducet N. 1998. An improved mapping method of multisatellite altimeter data. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 15(2): 522–534
Lou Hao, Bracco A, Di Lorenzo E. 2011. The interannual variability of the surface eddy kinetic energy in the Labrador Sea. Progress in Oceanography, 91(3): 295–311
McWilliams J C. 1990. The vortices of two-dimensional turbulence. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 219: 361–385
Nencioli F, Dong Changming, Dickey T, et al. 2010. A vector geometry- based eddy detection algorithm and its application to a high-resolution numerical model product and high-frequency radar surface velocities in the Southern California Bight. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 27(3): 564–579, doi: 10.1175/2009JTECHO725.1
Pascual A, Faugère Y, Larnicol G, et al. 2006. Improved description of the ocean mesoscale variability by combining four satellite altimeters. Geophysical Research Letters, 33(2): L02611, doi: 10.1029/2005GL024633
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: 10.1029/2005JC002945
Qiu Yun, Li Li. 2006. Review of study on upper ocean circulation in the Bay of Bengal. Advances in Marine Science (in Chinese), 24(4): 593–603
Sadarjoen I A, Post F H. 2000. Detection, quantification, and tracking of vortices using streamline geometry. Computers & Graphics, 24(3): 333–341
Sangrà P, Pascual A, Rodríguez-Santana Á, et al. 2009. The Canary Eddy Corridor: a major pathway for long-lived eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic. Deep-Sea Research: Part I. Oceanographic Research Papers, 56(12): 2100–2114, doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2009.08.008
Sarma Y V B, Rao E P R, Saji P K, et al. 1999. Hydrography and circulation of the Bay of Bengal during withdrawal phase of the southwest Monsoon. Oceanologica Acta, 22(5): 453–471
Schott F A, McCreary Jr J P. 2001. The monsoon circulation of the Indian Ocean. Progress in Oceanography, 51(1): 1–123
Somayajulu Y K, Murty V S N, Sarma Y V B. 2003. Seasonal and interannual variability of surface circulation in the Bay of Bengal from TOPEX/Poseidon altimetry. Deep-Sea Research: Part II. Topical Studies in Oceanography, 50(5): 867–880
Souza J M A C, de Boyer Montégut C, Le Traon P Y. 2011. Comparison between three implementations of automatic identification algorithms for the quantification and characterization of mesoscale eddies in the South Atlantic Ocean. Ocean Science, 7(3): 317–334, doi: 10.5194/os-7-317-2011
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
Vinayachandran P N, Masumoto Y, Mikawa T, et al. 1999. Intrusion of the southwest monsoon current into the Bay of Bengal. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 104(C5): 11077–11085
Yu Lisen, O’Brien J J, Yang Jiayan. 1991. On the remote forcing of the circulation in the Bay of Bengal. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 96(C11): 20449–20454
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Foundation item: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 41576176; the National High Technology Research and Development Program (863 program) of China under contract No. 2013AA122803; the Project of ESA-MOST Dragon-3 Cooperation Programme.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cui, W., Yang, J. & Ma, Y. A statistical analysis of mesoscale eddies in the Bay of Bengal from 22–year altimetry data. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 35, 16–27 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-016-0945-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-016-0945-3