Ocean Lagrangian Trajectories (OLTraj): Lagrangian analysis for non-expert users

Open Res Eur. 2021 Nov 15:1:117. doi: 10.12688/openreseurope.14133.2. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Lagrangian analysis is becoming increasingly important to better understand the ocean's biological and biogeochemical cycles. Yet, biologists and chemists often lack the technical skills required to set up such analyses. Here, we present a new product of pre-computed ocean Lagrangian trajectories (OLTraj) targeting non-expert users, and demonstrate how to use it by means of worked examples. OLTraj is based on satellite-derived geostrophic currents, which allows one to directly compare it with other in-situ or satellite products. We anticipate that OLTraj will foster a new interest in Lagrangian applications in ocean biology and biogeochemistry.

Keywords: Lagrangian analysis; geostrophic currents; in-situ measurements; non-expert users; ocean colour; satellite data.

Grants and funding

This research was financially supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No [862923] (project AtlantECO), and from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through the National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO).