CoAuthors

Eric Leuliette (NOAA, United States); Deirdre Byrne (NOAA, United States)

Mesoscale eddies play a major role in the global ocean circulation and have a significant impact on biophysical and biogeochemical processes. These eddies transport ocean properties, serve as feeding grounds for marine species, and heavily impact air-sea interactions and hurricane forecasts. Using near-real time (NRT) satellite observations from NOAA daily gridded sea level anomalies from the Radar Altimeter Database System (RADS), geostrophic currents, and eddy kinetic energy, NOAA Geo-Polar Blended Sea Surface Temperature Analysis, NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) version 5.0 sea surface salinity processed by JPL, and NOAA/CoastWatch NRT VIIRS multi-sensor chlorophyll DINEOF gap-filled analysis, these eddies can be operationally tracked and characterized in order to monitor related processes. This eddy tracking product includes twenty observational and calculated tracked variables with features that allow for advanced monitoring and analysis of mesoscale eddies; output products span 2019-2023. The Multiparameter Eddy Significance Index (MESI) is an enhancement of eddy-tracking for biophysical and biogeochemical analysis and serves as a first look indicator of the impact a given mesoscale eddy may have on upper ocean processes, with implications for nutrient cycling, fisheries, and ocean acidification. Here we present updates on these related products along with an application for monitoring coral reef health and bleaching events in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Multiparameter mesoscale eddy tracking and MESI are candidate products for NOAA CoastWatch in transition to operations with broad oceanographic applications for both operational and research fields. Disclaimer: the scientific results and conclusions, as well as any views or opinions expressed herein, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of NOAA or the Department of Commerce.