FN Archimer Export Format PT J TI An index to distinguish surface and subsurface intensified vortices from surface observations BT AF ASSASSI, Charefeddine MOREL, Y. VANDERMEIRSCH, Frederic CHAIGNEAU, A. PEGLIASCO, C. MORROW, R. COLAS, F. FLEURY, S. CARTON, Xavier KLEIN, Patrice CAMBRA, R. AS 1:1,2,4;2:1;3:2;4:1;5:1;6:1;7:5;8:1;9:3;10:2;11:1; FF 1:PDG-ODE-LOPS-OC;2:;3:PDG-ODE-LOPS-OC;4:;5:;6:;7:;8:;9:;10:;11:; C1 Univ Toulouse, LEGOS, CNES, CNRS,IRD,UPS, Toulouse, France. Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer,Lab Oceanog Phys & Spatiale,IUEM, Brest, France. Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer,Lab Oceanog Phys & Spatiale,IUEM, Brest, France. Algerian Space Agcy, Space Technol Ctr, Oran, Algeria. UPMC, IPSL, IRD, LOCEAN, Paris, France. C2 IRD, FRANCE IFREMER, FRANCE UBO, FRANCE ALGERIAN SPACE AGCY, ALGERIA UNIV PARIS 06, FRANCE UNIV TOULOUSE, FRANCE SI BREST SE PDG-ODE-LOPS-OC UM LOPS IN WOS Ifremer jusqu'en 2018 copubli-france copubli-p187 copubli-univ-france copubli-int-hors-europe copubli-sud IF 3.13 TC 62 UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00343/45406/44921.pdf LA English DT Article AB In this study, we first show that it is difficult to reconstruct the vertical structure of vortices using only surface observations. In particular we show that the recent SQG and ISQG methods systematically lead to surface intensified vortices and those subsurface intensified vortices are thus not correctly modelled. We then investigate the possibility to distinguish between surface and subsurface intensified eddies from surface data only, using the sea surface height and the sea surface temperature available from satellite observations. A simple index, based on the ratio of the sea surface temperature anomaly and the sea level anomaly, is proposed. While the index is expected to give perfect results for isolated vortices, we show that in a complex environment, errors can be expected, in particular when strong currents exist in the vicinity of the vortex. The validity of the index is then analysed using results from a realistic regional circulation model of the Peru-Chile upwelling system, where both surface and subsurface eddies coexist. We find that errors are mostly associated with double core eddies (aligned surface and subsurface cores) and that the index can be useful to determine the nature of mesoscale eddies (surface or subsurface- intensified) from surface (satellite) observations. The errors however reach 24% and some possible improvements of the index calculations are discussed. PY 2016 PD AUG SO Journal Of Physical Oceanography SN 0022-3670 PU Amer Meteorological Soc VL 46 IS 8 UT 000384030900001 BP 2529 EP 2552 DI 10.1175/JPO-D-15-0122.1 ID 45406 ER EF