On the evidence of helico-spiralling recirculation within coherent cores of eddies using Lagrangian approach

Rahul Deogharia; Hitesh Gupta; Sourav Sil; Avijit Gangopadhyay; Abhijit Shee

doi:10.1038/s41598-024-61744-6

On the evidence of helico-spiralling recirculation within coherent cores of eddies using Lagrangian approach

Sci Rep. 2024 May 14;14(1):11014. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-61744-6.

Authors

Rahul Deogharia¹, Hitesh Gupta², Sourav Sil², Avijit Gangopadhyay^{2

3}, Abhijit Shee⁴

Affiliations

¹ Ocean Analysis and Modeling Laboratory, School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, 752050, India. rd16@iitbbs.ac.in.
² Ocean Analysis and Modeling Laboratory, School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, 752050, India.
³ School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, 02747, MA, USA.
⁴ Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560012, India.

PMID: 38745064
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61744-6

Abstract

Oceanic eddies exhibit remarkable coherence and longevity compared to other transient features in the surrounding flow. They possess the ability to transport properties over extensive distances while maintaining their material identity intact. The Lagrangian Coherent Structure (LCS) framework has proven effective in capturing these coherent eddies, where they display a solid-body-like rotation. Although various LCS approaches have been employed to investigate different facets of coherent eddies, a comprehensive understanding of their three-dimensional structures and internal dynamics remains elusive. This study aims to advance our comprehension of coherent eddies' structural characteristics and delve into the precise nature of their internal dynamics by utilizing the Lagrangian Averaged Vorticity Deviation approach. Two eddies, one cyclonic and the other anti-cyclonic, were chosen from a high-resolution simulation carried out in the Bay of Bengal using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). The findings unveil that these eddies have three-dimensional coherent cores resembling gently tapered cones that are broader at the surface and gradually narrow towards the bottom. Intriguingly, the dynamically coherent core of these eddies exhibits simultaneous upwelling and downwelling while maintaining their volumes during advection due to persistent material coherence. The three-dimensional trajectories followed by the fluid parcels inside the coherent core are helical. Their two-dimensional horizontal projections show alternating spiral bands of upwelling and downwelling which are the manifestations of Vortex Rossby Waves. These observations lead to a conceptual framework of a three-dimensional helico-spiralling recirculation pattern within the coherent cores of eddies.

Keywords: Coherent eddies; Downwelling; Lagrangian Averaged Vorticity Deviation (LAVD); Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs); Upwelling; Vortex Rossby Waves (VRWs).