Jordi Isern-Fontanet

Deep structure of an open sea eddy in the Algerian Basin

The Algerian Basin dynamics is dominated by the presence of very energetic mesoscale structures. Deep open sea eddies are key features that influence the regional circulation of water masses at all depths. In May 1998, an open sea eddy was sampled near 38j N2 jE by means of CTD, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and surface Lagrangian drifters. For the first time, it has been possible to characterise one of these mesoscale structures in its full depth, down to 2800 m. The density distribution indicated the presence of lighter water in the centre of the eddy from the surface to the bottom. The direct velocity measurements in the surface layer, plus the determination of the baroclinic shear from CTD data, evidenced that the anticyclonic motion was present in the whole water depth. D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Ocean surface currents reconstruction at a global scale from microwave measurements

In this work we evaluate surface ocean current reconstruction at a global scale from microwave Sea Surface Temperature (SST) measurements, based on the Surface Quasi- Geostrophic (SQG) theory. One of the main advantages of microwave measurements is that they are not affected by cloud cover, which is an important aspect for global studies and operational applications. A new heuristic method that combines the benefits of microwave and altimetry measurements is also proposed and evaluated. Results showed that reconstruction of surface currents based on SQG theory can be improved if the information about the energy spectrum provided by altimeters is used.

Assessment of ocean surface currents reconstruction at a global scale from the synergy between microwave and altimetric measurements

In this work we evaluate surface ocean current reconstruction at a global scale using a new methodology that combines the benefits of microwave and altimetry measurements. The combined method is based on SQG theory and combines the information about the energy spectrum provided by altimeters with SST microwave measurements. We compare ocean surface current reconstruction using the combined method with eSQG reconstruction, taking as a reference surface geostrophic currents derived from altimetry. Results showed that reconstruction of surface currents based on SQG theory can be improved if the information about the energy spectrum provided by altimeters is used. Furthermore, we investigate to which extent the quality of our results is related to the seasonal cycle of the Mixed Layer Depth (MLD). Results confirmed that the reconstruction performs better for deeper mixed layer.

Ocean Surface Current Reconstruction: On the Transfer Function between Infrared SST and along-track altimeter observations

The potentiality of retrieving high spatial resolution velocity fields by exploiting the synergy between nearly simultaneous observations of infrared SST and along-track altimetry is shown here through a case study in the Gulf Stream region. The presented approach relies on the characterization of a transfer function between the SST observations and the streamfunction of the flow and allows to improve the spatial resolution and the effective scales of the retrieved velocity field.

A 3D view of the Brazil-Malvinas frontal system

48th Liege Colloquium: Submesoscale Processes. Mechanisms, Implications and New Frontiers, 23-27 May 2016, Liege, Belgium.-- 1 page, 7 figures

Coexistence of Multiscale Processes in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence Region

48th Liege Colloquium: Submesoscale Processes. Mechanisms, Implications and New Frontiers, 23-27 May 2016, Liege, Belgium.-- 1 page, 7 figures