@article{fdi:010074826,
  title = {{A}nticyclonic eddies connecting the western boundaries of {I}ndian and {A}tlantic {O}ceans},
  author = {{L}axenaire, {R}. and {S}peich, {S}. and {B}lanke, {B}. and {C}haigneau, {A}lexis and {P}egliasco, {C}. and {S}tegner, {A}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he {I}ndo-{A}tlantic interocean exchanges achieved by {A}gulhas {R}ings are tightly linked to global ocean circulation and climate. {Y}et they are still poorly understood because they are difficult to identify and follow. {W}e propose here an original assessment on {A}gulhas {R}ings, achieved by {TOE}ddies, a new eddy identification and tracking algorithm that we applied over 24years of satellite altimetry. {I}ts main novelty lies in the detection of eddy splitting and merging events. {T}hese are particularly abundant and significantly impact the concept of a trajectory associated with a single eddy, which becomes less obvious than previously admitted. {T}o overcome this complication, we have defined a network of segments that group together in relatively complex trajectories. {S}uch a network provides an original assessment of the routes and the history of {A}gulhas {R}ings. {I}t links 730,481 eddies into 6,363 segments that cluster into {A}gulhas {R}ing trajectories of different orders. {S}uch an order depends on the affiliation of the eddies and segments, in a similar way as a tree of life. {A}mong them, we have identified 122 order 0 trajectories that can be considered as the major trajectories associated to a single eddy, albeit it has undergone itself splitting and merging events. {D}espite the disappearance of many eddies in the altimeter signal in the {C}ape {B}asin, a significant fraction can be followed from the {I}ndian {O}cean to the {S}outh {B}razil {C}urrent with, on average, 3.5years to cross the entire {S}outh {A}tlantic. {P}lain {L}anguage {S}ummary {M}esoscale eddies are ubiquitous structures in the ocean and are one of the major sources of ocean variability. {T}hey play a crucial role in physically shaping the ocean general circulation, in transporting and mixing energy, chemicals, and other materials within and among ocean basins. {T}his should be true, in particular, south of {A}frica where the largest mesoscale eddies, the so-called {A}gulhas {R}ings, are shed from the {A}gulhas {C}urrent into the {C}ape {B}asin conveying {I}ndian warm and salty waters into the {S}outheast {A}tlantic {O}cean. {H}owever, due to their small-scale and highly variable nature, ocean eddies are inadequately sampled and poorly reproduced in numerical models. {H}ence, we still lack a good assessment of their population and an appropriate understanding of their dynamics and exact role in the {E}arth's climate. {W}e propose here an original assessment on {A}gulhas {R}ings achieved by a tracking algorithm that we applied over 24years of satellite altimetry. {I}ts main novelty lies in the detection of eddy separation and coalescence events that replace the concept of trajectories by the consideration of an eddy network. {S}uch a network provides an original assessment of the routes and history of {A}gulhas {R}ings longer and more complex than previously described.},
  keywords = {{A}gulhas {R}ings ; eddy tracking ; interocean exchange ; mesoscale dynamics ; {OCEAN} {INDIEN} ; {ATLANTIQUE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {G}eophysical {R}esearch : {O}ceans},
  volume = {123},
  numero = {11},
  pages = {7651--7677},
  ISSN = {2169-9275},
  year = {2018},
  DOI = {10.1029/2018jc014270},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010074826},
}