Satellite Radar Observations of Small Eddies in the White, Barents and Kara Seas

O.A. Atadzhanova1, 2, ✉, A.V. Zimin1, 2, D.A. Romanenkov2, I.E. Kozlov2, 3

1 Saint-Petersburg Branch of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

2 Russian State Hydrometeorological University, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

3 Marine Hydrophysical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Sevastopol, Russian Federation

✉ e-mail: oksana.atadzhanova@gmail.com

Abstract

Analysis of space-time variability of small (submesoscale) eddies identified in satellite radar images during the warm season in the White (2009 – 2012), Barents and Kara (2007) Seas is presented. Determination of eddy locations, their diameters and vorticity type enabled to reveal the regions of regular eddy occurrence and assess their intraseasonal variability. In total, over 3500 eddy patterns were detected with 2970 cyclonic and 621 anticyclonic eddies. The peak of eddy activity in the Barents and White seas is observed in July, in the Kara Sea – in August. Despite a significant intraseasonal variability of eddy diameters, most eddies have diameters less than 6 km. Mean values of eddy diameter range from 2.4 km for the Kara Sea to 4.7 km for the White Sea, with 3.6 km obtained for the Barents Sea. While cyclonic eddies are observed more frequently, anticyclonic eddies are typically larger in size. In the Barents Sea eddies are regularly observed near Svalbard and north to the Kola Peninsula; in the Kara Sea – between Novaya Zemlya and the Yamal Peninsula, and close to Uyedineniya and Sverdrup islands; in the White Sea – in the Dvina Bay, northward to the Solovetsky Islands and along the Tersky coast. In all the seas a significant part of the detected eddies is found near hydrological fronts of various origin.

Keywords

sub-mesoscale eddies, satellite radar images, statistics of vortex formation, the White Sea, the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea

For citation

Atadzhanova, O.A., Zimin, A.V., Romanenkov, D.A. and Kozlov, I.E., 2017. Satellite Radar Observations of Small Eddies in the White, Barents and Kara Seas. Physical Oceanography, (2), pp. 75-83. doi:10.22449/1573-160X-2017-2-75-83

DOI

10.22449/1573-160X-2017-2-75-83

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