EGU25-17965, updated on 15 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17965
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Poster | Friday, 02 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST), Display time Friday, 02 May, 08:30–18:00
 
vPoster spot 4, vP4.17
Lagrangian Evolution of the Trapping Capacity of Mesoscale Eddies in the Canary Eddy Corridor: A Numerical Modeling Approach
Daniel Vacca1, Borja Aguiar-González2,3, and Tammy Morris3
Daniel Vacca et al.
  • 1Aix-Marseille, OSU-Pytheas, MIO, Marseille, France
  • 2EOMAR, ECOAQUA, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
  • 3South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), Egagasini Node, Cape Town, South Africa

The Canary Eddy Corridor is a dynamic region of mesoscale eddy activity, playing a critical role in the transport of physical properties (heat and salt) and biogeochemical properties (nutrients, larvae, plankton) in the eastern North Atlantic. This study investigates the Lagrangian evolution of the trapping capacity of mesoscale eddies according to their lifecycle phases and vertical structure (surface vs. subsurface eddies).


We combine OceanParcels (an open-source Python toolbox) and an eddy identification and tracking algorithm with the GLORYS12V1 reanalysis product and altimetry data from AVISO to simulate particle release and track trajectories within eddies. Applying the eddy tracking algorithm at surface and subsurface levels in GLORYS12V1 reveals that subsurface eddies with a surface signal exhibit subsurface rotational velocities at the eddy core that occasionally exceed those of surface eddy cores. This highlights the potential misrepresentation of eddy transport capacity when relying solely on altimetry data, without accounting for the vertical structure, which can be better resolved through a combination of model outputs and observational data, such as non-standard Argo float configurations. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the eddy lifecycle phases shows that mature eddies exhibit substantially greater trapping depths compared to their growth and decay stages. These findings align with earlier modeling analyses of dipoles originating south of Madagascar, which also highlight enhanced trapping depths in mature eddies.


The results provide a comprehensive view of the trapping capacity of mesoscale eddies throughout their lifecycle and vertical structure, emphasizing their critical role in biophysical coupling, ecological connectivity, and the transport of biogeochemical properties, as well as microplastics and other pollutants.

 

Acknowledgments: The first author is grateful for the internship grants ERASMUS +, AMI-MESRI, and TIGER. 

How to cite: Vacca, D., Aguiar-González, B., and Morris, T.: Lagrangian Evolution of the Trapping Capacity of Mesoscale Eddies in the Canary Eddy Corridor: A Numerical Modeling Approach, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17965, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17965, 2025.