Exploring Two Decades of Mesoscale Eddy Variability in the Lofoten Basin by Applying Automated Eddy Detection and Singularity Analysis to Remote Sensing Data

Abstract

The Lofoten Basin in the Norwegian Sea is located along the advective path of the warm and saline Atlantic Water transported from the North Atlantic to the Arctic. Bordered by the two branches of the Norwegian Atlantic Current the ocean dynamics in this basin are considered important for the general circulation in the Nordic Seas. It partly behaves as a reservoir for the northward flowing Atlantic Water and therefore plays a role in the heat and salt distribution. The basin is a hot spot for mesoscale variability, with the presence of a permanent vortex trapped by the deep bathymetry in the western part of the basin. In turn, the sea surface height in the basin becomes strongly influenced by the eddy variability and permanent vortex. In this study, we apply an automatic eddy detection scheme combined with singular analysis on satellite multi-sensor synergy data in the Lofoten Basin from 2004 to 2022. The main findings and results are presented and discussed focusing on seasonal and annual trends of the variability in the eddy field.