Structure and Dynamics of the Ras al Hadd Oceanic Dipole in the Arabian Sea

Type Article
Date 2021-03
Language English
Author(s) Ayouche Adam1, de Marez CharlyORCID3, Morvan Mathieu3, L'Hegaret Pierre3, Carton XavierORCID3, Le Vu Briac2, Stegner Alexandre2
Affiliation(s) 1 : Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Universite de Bretagne Occidentale, 29200 Brest, France
2 : Le Laboratoire de météorologie dynamique (LMD), Ecole Polytechnique, 91120 Palaiseau, France
3 : Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Universite de Bretagne Occidentale, 29200 Brest, France
Source Oceans-switzerland (2673-1924) (MDPI AG), 2021-03 , Vol. 2 , N. 1 , P. 105-125
DOI 10.3390/oceans2010007
WOS© Times Cited 11
Note This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances and Challenges in Ocean Science—Feature Papers for the Founding of Oceans
Keyword(s) ras al hadd oceanic dipole, arabian sea, cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, altimetric data, angular momentum eddy detection and tracking algorithm (AMEDA), HYCOM model, ARGO floats
Abstract

The Ras al Hadd oceanic dipole is a recurrent association of a cyclone (to the northeast) and of an anticyclone (to the southwest), which forms in summer and breaks up at the end of autumn. It lies near the Ras al Hadd cape, southeast of the Arabian peninsula. Its size is on the order of 100 km. Along the axis of this dipole flows an intense jet, the Ras al Had jet. Using altimetric data and an eddy detection and tracking algorithm (AMEDA: Angular Momentum Eddy Detection and tracking Algorithm), we describe the life cycle of this oceanic dipole over a year (2014–2015). We also use the results of a numerical model (HYCOM, the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model) simulation, and hydrological data from ARGO profilers, to characterize the vertical structure of the two eddies composing the dipole, and their variability over a 15 year period. We show that (1) before the dipole is formed, the two eddies that will compose it, come from different locations to join near Ras al Hadd, (2) the dipole remains near Ras al Hadd during summer and fall while the wind stress (due to the summer monsoon wind) intensifies the cyclone, (3) both the anticyclone and the cyclone reach the depth of the Persian Gulf Water outflow, and (4) their horizontal radial velocity profile is often close to Gaussian but it can vary as the dipole interacts with neighboring eddies. As a conclusion, further work with a process model is recommended to quantify the interaction of this dipole with surrounding eddies and with the atmosphere.

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