Statistical Characteristics of Mesoscale Eddies in the North Pacific Derived from Satellite Altimetry

Remote Sensing

Yu-Hsin Cheng¹  Chung-Ru Ho¹  Quanan Zheng² 

[1] Department of Marine Environmental Informatics, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan; E-Mails:;Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: mesoscale eddy;    North Pacific;    sea level anomaly;    eddy detection algorithm;   

DOI  :  10.3390/rs6065164

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The sea level anomaly data derived from satellite altimetry are analyzed to investigate statistical characteristics of mesoscale eddies in the North Pacific. Eddies are detected by a free-threshold eddy identification algorithm. The results show that the distributions of size, amplitude, propagation speed, and eddy kinetic energy of eddy follow the Rayleigh distribution. The most active regions of eddies are the Kuroshio Extension region, the Subtropical Counter Current zone, and the Northeastern Tropical Pacific region. By contrast, eddies are seldom observed around the center of the eastern part of the North Pacific Subarctic Gyre. The propagation speed and kinetic energy of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies are almost the same, but anticyclonic eddies possess greater lifespans, sizes, and amplitudes than those of cyclonic eddies. Most eddies in the North Pacific propagate westward except in the Oyashio region. Around the northeastern tropical Pacific and the California currents, cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies propagate westward with slightly equatorward (197° average azimuth relative to east) and poleward (165°) deflection, respectively. This implies that the background current may play an important role in formation of the eddy pathway patterns.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland