A Dissymmetrical Ocean Mesoscale Eddy Model for Remote Sensing Data Assimilation

In order to meet the urgent need for mesoscale eddy data assimilation, here we built a model for dissymmetrical ocean mesoscale eddy. It adopted the e-folding radius and assumed a Gaussian decay of the eddy amplitude with horizontal distance from the centre. We didn't regarded the structure of eddy was symmetrical again and introduce the left radius and right radius on each layer. Thus the model can present the dissymmetry of eddy perfectly. We applied the model on the east china sea cold eddy and compared with the experiment data and remote sensing data, which proved the model was useful and effective. It can be used to assimilate remote sensing data and reconstruct the dissymmetrical eddies.

I. Introduction

In the ocean, spatial variability occurs on a wide range of scales from basin-scale gyres to internal waves with wavelengths of 100 m, and further down to molecular scale (see at Fig. 1). Theory and observations have shown that the energy of the ocean variability decreases as the scales of motion decrease^[1], with maximum energy at the mesoscale (from km, dependent on the location) of which mesoscale eddies are very important part. The aim of this paper is twofold: using high-resolution observed temperature data and remote sensing data of SST to built one dissymmetrical ocean mescoscale eddy model; and to test the effectiveness of which though reconstructing the east china sea cold eddy.