Logo image
Integrating Global Ocean Profiles and Altimetry-Derived Eddies
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Integrating Global Ocean Profiles and Altimetry-Derived Eddies

Iury Simoes-Sousa, Cesar Rocha, Amit Tandon and Andre Schmidt
Earth system science data, Vol.18(2), pp.1089-1101
02/10/2026

Abstract

Algorithms Altimeters Altimetry Arrays Climate system Data processing Databases Datasets Deformation Eddies Mesoscale eddies Mesoscale phenomena Mesoscale vortexes Nutrient transport Ocean circulation Oceanic vortices Oceans Parallel processing Physics Satellite altimetry Satellites Subduction Surface dynamics Vertical profiles Vortices
Satellite altimetry has revolutionized our understanding of ocean physics by providing global sea-surface height data. These measurements reveal the intricate dynamics of ocean mesoscale strain and vortices, and their interactions with multiple physical scales in the oceans. Although surface dynamics has been extensively studied, investigating the vertical structure of mesoscale eddies globally remains a computational challenge. In this study, we combine the comprehensive World Ocean Database (WOD) with a database of Eulerian mesoscale eddies (META3.2 DT). We pre-process and filter the WOD data, selecting quality controlled profiles at local depths greater than 100 m. By integrating WOD data with altimetry-derived mesoscale eddies, we aim to facilitate future studies on the role of mesoscale vortices in multiple processes, such as heat, mass and nutrient transport, and water-mass subduction. The analysis is performed using high-performance computing resources, with Python packages for parallel processing of the data and analysis of more than 4.2 million profiles with more than 35 million vortex observations. The dataset is available for download from Zenodo at 10.5281/zenodo.17425853 and by direct access through an OPeNDAP/HTTP server and an S3 bucket in icechunk format. Additionally, we provide the code for performing the vortex-profile matching, along with an example of use to facilitate future updates to the code and merged data. This dataset supports further research on eddy vertical structure, biogeochemical processes, and their role in climate systems across different regions and time periods.
url
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1089-2026View
Published (Version of record) Open

Related links

Metrics

1 Record Views

Details

Logo image