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Global ocean surface currents estimated from satellite derived data based on a regular global grid are affected by the grid’s shape and placement. Due to different neighbourhood relationships, the rectangular lat/lon grids lose accuracy when interpolating and fitting elevation data. Hexagonal grids have shown to be advantageous due to their isotropic, uniform neighbourhood. Considering these merits, this paper aims to estimate global ocean surface current using a global isotropic hexagonal grid from satellite remote sensing data. First, gridded satellite altimeter data and wind data with different resolutions are interpolated into the centre of the global isotropic hexagonal grid. Then, geostrophic and Ekman currents components are estimated according to the Lagerlof Ocean currents theory. Finally, the inversion results are verified. By analyzing the results, we conclude that the ocean surface currents estimated based on the global isotropic hexagonal grid have considerable accuracy, with improvement over rectangular lat/lon grids.

We present a study on the ocean surface currents reconstruction by merging Level-4 (L4, gap-free) altimeter-derived geostrophic currents and satellite sea surface temperature. Building upon past studies on the multi-variate reconstruction of geostrophic currents from satellite observations, we regionalized and optimized an algorithm to improve the altimeter-derived surface circulation estimates in the North Atlantic Ocean. A ten-year-long time series (2010–2019) is presented and validated by means of in situ observations. The newly optimized algorithm allowed us to improve the currents estimate along the main axis of the Gulf Stream and in correspondence of well-known upwelling areas in the North Eastern Atlantic, with percentage improvements of around 15% compared to standard operational altimetry products.

Purpose. The aim of the work is to clarify the spatial structure of the climatic dynamic fronts (geostrophic current jets) and to estimate the relationship between their position and that of the large-scale temperature fronts on the surface of the Scotia Sea and the adjacent water areas in the southwestern part of the Atlantic sector of Antarctica. Methods and Results. The daily averaged data arrays of the CMEMS (1993–2017) and NOAA OI SST (1982–2017) reanalysis at the regular 0.25° grid were used. The CMEMS reanalysis contains the sea surface geostrophic velocity values, the NOAA OI SST reanalysis – the sea surface temperature ones which were reduced to the climatic form through their averaging for each month of the corresponding periods. Position of the current jets and the temperature fronts was determined using the maximums of the geostrophic velocity components and the extremes of the temperature horizontal gradients. The updated scheme of the average long-term position of dynamic fronts was constructed. It shows that in the areas of the most pronounced bottom topography inhomogeneities (the northern boundary of the Falkland Plateau and the Tierra del Fuego shelf, the boundaries of the Falkland Islands shelf and the Birdwood Bank, the Shackleton Ridge and the South Shetland Islands shelf), the fronts do not change their latitudinal position during a year. It is revealed that in most of the water area, the temperature horizontal gradient extremes (temperature fronts) correspond to the geostrophic velocity maximums (dynamic fronts). The Northern and Central Branches of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current are most clearly manifested in the temperature field. In general, in the water area under study, the average annual latitudinal position of the Subantarctic and Antarctic Polar Fronts is displaced to the south relative to the position of the Northern and Central branches jets of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current by 0.25–0.5° and 0.25–1°, respectively. Conclusions. It is shown that, being influenced by the bottom topography, the large-scale jets of geostrophic currents form intense topographic meanders and recirculation branches which are stably manifested on the climatic scale. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current branches being affected by the bottom topography, can merge forming the joint flows, and then diverge forming a system of separate jets again. It is found that the main spatial features of frontal structure in the geostrophic velocities field persist throughout the whole year and are conditioned mainly by the bottom topography. The most of the dynamic fronts are shown to be clearly pronounced in the temperature field on the surface during a year. A high level of linear correlation between the positions of temperature fronts and current jets was revealed; the correlation coefficient values are 0.6–0.97.

On the basis of satellite and field atmospheric and marine observations, the water circulation processes of the north-western shelf (the NWS) of the Black Sea in the summer of 2017 were studied. The study indicated high stability of summer offshore winds of northern and north-northwest directions and 12 cases of coastal upwelling. Three cases of upwelling were instrumentally detected on the across-the-shore oceanographic sections during seasonal field works performed by the oceanographic unit of the branch “Odesa Area of State Hydrographic Service” of the state institution "State Hydrographic Service of Ukraine (SHSU)". The increase of coastal water density led to an abnormally active transfer along the coast of the Danube-Dniester interfluve area to the northernmost parts of the NWS. In 2017 a visual manifestation of anticyclonic character of summer circulation of the NWS's water could be observed. The obtained data confirm the previous conclusions on frequent cases of change in summer periods of traditional cyclonic water circulation to the anticyclonic one. The abnormal development of the summer circulation regime allowed us to record for the first time the transfer of coccolithophores phytoplankton from the open sea to the northern regions of the NWS and to reveal its intraseasonal spatial transformation and development process duration. In the seaward part of the Gulf of Odessa a frequently repeated vortex formation of cyclonic vorticity with spatial dimensions of up to 7-8 miles and orbital velocities, according to the presented data, of 0.12–0.18 m.c-1, and according to the latest field work, of over 0.30 m.c-1, was found. When analyzing the considered situations associated with transfer and vorticity of sea water a significant role was played by high-resolution visual images obtained from Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 satellites having a spatial resolution of 10 and 30 meters respectively, as well as by similar satellites of earlier modifications.

At the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands (PEIs) in the Southern Ocean, the Island Mass Effect (IME) plays an important role in maintaining an ecosystem able to support diverse biological communities; however, limited in situ sampling has severely constrained our understanding of it. As such, our study used satellite chlorophyll a (chla) to provide the first detailed characterisation of the spatial extent and seasonal variability of the IME at the PEIs. Seasonal surface chla variations were remarkable, with localised increases observed from mid-austral spring to the end of autumn (October to May). In contrast, during June to September, there were no distinguishable differences between chla at the PEIs and that further afield. Seasonal chla changes were significantly correlated with higher light levels, warmer waters, and shallow upper mixed layer depths reflecting enhanced water column stability during summer and autumn, with the opposite pattern in winter and spring. The IME extended northeast of the islands and remained spatially distinct from elevated chla around the northern branch of the sub-Antarctic Front and the southern branch of the Antarctic Polar Front. From December to February, the IME was spatially connected to the island shelf. In contrast, during March–May and in October, higher chla was observed only to the northeast, some distance away from the islands, suggesting a delayed IME, which has not previously been observed at the PEIs. The clear association of this higher chla with the weak mean geostrophic circulation northeast of the islands suggested retention and accumulation of nutrients and phytoplankton biomass, which was likely aided by wind-driven northeastward transport of water from the shelf. Climatological mean chla to the northeast was generally higher than that on the PEI shelf, and further research is required to determine the importance of this region to ecosystem functioning at the islands.

Most of the Atlantic bluefin tuna caught by the purse-seine fleet in the Mediterranean Sea are transferred alive into transport cages and towed to coastal facilities where they are fattened. This major fishery is targeting aggregations of reproductive bluefin tuna that continue spawning within the transport cages. Our study is the first attempt to assess the viability of the spawning events within transport cages placed offshore in a priori favourable locations for larval survival. The study was conducted in June 2010 in the Balearic Sea, a main spawning area for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean. The location of two transport cages, one with wild and one with captive tuna, coincide with the situation of the chlorophyll front using satellite imagery as a proxy for the salinity front between resident surface waters and those of recent Atlantic origin. The results showed that bluefin tuna eggs were spawned almost every day within the two cages but few or no larvae were found. The expected larval densities estimated after applying mortality curves to the daily egg densities observed in the cages were higher than the sampled larval densities. The trajectories of the eggs after hatching estimated from a particle tracking model based on observed geostrophic currents and a drifter deployed adjacent to the cage suggest that larvae were likely to be caught close to the cages within the sampling dates. Spawning events in captive tuna in transport cages may hatch into larvae though they may experience higher mortality rates than expected in natural populations. The causes of the larval mortality are further discussed in the text. Such studies should be repeated in other spawning areas in the Mediterranean if spawning in cages located offshore in areas favourable a priori for larval survival is likely to be considered a management measurement to minimize the impact of purse-seine fishing on tuna.

The use of geoid models to estimate the Mean Dynamic Topography was stimulated with the launching of the GRACE satellite system, since its models present unprecedented precision and space-time resolution. In the present study, besides the DNSC08 mean sea level model, the following geoid models were used with the objective of computing the MDTs: EGM96, EIGEN-5C and EGM2008. In the method adopted, geostrophic currents for the South Atlantic were computed based on the MDTs. In this study it was found that the degree and order of the geoid models affect the determination of TDM and currents directly. The presence of noise in the MDT requires the use of efficient filtering techniques, such as the filter based on Singular Spectrum Analysis, which presents significant advantages in relation to conventional filters. Geostrophic currents resulting from geoid models were compared with the HYCOM hydrodynamic numerical model. In conclusion, results show that MDTs and respective geostrophic currents calculated with EIGEN-5C and EGM2008 models are similar to the results of the numerical model, especially regarding the main large scale features such as boundary currents and the retroflection at the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence.A utilização de modelos geoidais na determinação da Topografia Dinâmica Média foi impulsionada com o lançamento dos satélites do sistema GRACE, já que seus modelos apresentam precisão e resolução espacial e temporal sem precedentes. No presente trabalho, além do modelo de nível médio do mar DNSC08, foram utilizados os seguintes modelos geoidais com o objetivo de calcular as TDMs: EGM96, EIGEN-5C e EGM2008. No método adotado, foram calculadas as respectivas correntes geostróficas para o Atlântico Sul a partir das TDMs. O grau e ordem dos modelos geoidais influenciam diretamente na determinação da TDM e correntes. Neste trabalho verificou-se que presença de ruídos da TDM requer a utilização de técnicas de filtragem eficientes, como o filtro baseado em Singular Spectrum Analysis, que apresenta vantagens significativas em relação aos filtros convencionais. As correntes geostróficas resultantes dos modelos geoidais foram comparadas com resultados de modelo numérico hidrodinâmico HYCOM. Como principais conclusões, os resultados mostraram que as TDMs e respectivas correntes geostróficas calculadas com os modelos EIGEN-5C e EGM2008 foram similares aos resultados do modelo numérico, especialmente em relação às principais feições de grande escala, como as correntes do contorno e a retroflexão na Confluência Brasil Malvinas.

Cinco observações oceanográficas espaciais quase sinóticas, realizadas de janeiro de 1970 a fevereiro de 1971, na região entre o Cabo de São Tomé e a Baía de Guanabara, são usadas para descrever a circulação sazonal e as condições de fluxo da Corrente do Brasil próximo à plataforma continental. As velocidades relativas foram calculadas sobre superfícies isanostéricas, de acordo com o método sugerido por Montgomery (1937). A precisão do método foi analisada, com base na propagação dos erros instrumentais das medidas da temperatura, da salinidade e da profundidade sobre o volume específico e a aceleração potencial, obtendo-se uma precisão de cerca de ± 3,0 cm s-1, para a velocidade relativa, e um máximo de ± 2,5 Sv, para o transporte de volume através da secção transversal. As correntes geostróficas de superfície, calculadas com referência à superfície isanostérica de 100 cl ton-1, sao geralmente mais intensas através das secções a leste de Cabo Frio, onde elas atingem valores máximos (~90 cm s-1) na borda da plataforma continental durante o verão, e valores acima de 86 cm s-1 ocorrem no inverno, mais além, a distâncias da costa maiores do que 140 km. Os diagramas T-S mostram os detalhes da distribuição do fluxo nas classes características e o fato de que 50% do transporte total corresponde à Massa de Água Tropical, próxima da superfície isanostérica de 220 cl ton-1. As variações do transporte total na coluna de água, desde a superfície até a superfície isanostérica de referência, foram analisadas para estimar o transporte por unidade de largura.Five-nearly-synoptic spatial oceanographic observations, taken from January, 1970 to February, 1971, in the region between Cape of São Tomé and Guanabara Bay, are used to describe the seasonal circulation and flow conditions of the Brazil Current, close to the continental slope. The relative geostrophic velocities were calculated over isanosteric surfaces, according to the method suggested by Montgomery (1937). The precision of the method has been analysed, on the basis of the propagation of the instrumental errors for temperature, salinity and depth to the specific volume anomaly and acceleration potential, leading to a precision of about ± 3,0 cm s-1 for the relative speed, and a¹ maximum of ± 2,5 Sv, for the volume transport through a transversal section. The surface geostrophic currents, computed with reference to the isanosteric surface of the 100 cl ton-1 , are generally stronger through the sections east of Cabo Frio, where they reach maximum values (~90 cm s-1 on the edge of the continental shelf during the summer, and values up to 86 cm s-1 occur in the winter further offshore, at distances from the coast higher than 140 km. The T-S diagrams show the details of the flow distributions on characteristic classes and the fact that 50% of the net flow transports the Tropical Water Mass, above the 220 cl ton-1 isanosteric surface. The variations of the total transport flow in the water column, from the surface to the reference isanosteric surface, were analysed to estimate the transport-per-unit-width.

Para obter informações sobre a variação espacial da estrutura térmica e localizar a Corrente do Brasil, ao norte e ao sul dos bancos submarinos localizados a 20º30'S realizou-se, em abril de 1982, um levantamento oceanográfico nessa região. Dados de sensoriamento remoto foram também obtidos durante os trabalhos experimentais para um delineamento sinótico da estrutura térmica de superficie. Observou-se, ao longo da maioria das secções, um "thermostad" de 23ºC na termoclina principal. Ao longo das secções com intenso sinal baroclfnico, tal como na secção ao largo de Cabo Frio, o "thermostad" atenua-se e finalmente desaparece nas proximidades da costa, de forma semelhante ao desaparecimento da água de 18ºC na parede norte da Corrente do Golfo. A estrutura da corrente e o transporte de volume, relativos à superfície isobárica de 500 dbar, foram obtidos usando-se os dados hidrográficos e também as medidas com XBX as quais foram realizadas com espaçamentos muito menores do que o das estações hidrográficas. A comparação desses resultados, para o conjunto de observações conduzidas ao largo de Cabo Frio, indica que detalhes da corrente geostrófica não são delineados quando da utilização dos dados hidrográficos; os correspondentes valores do transporte de volume diferem em aproximadamente 17% (33 e 2,8 Sv, calculados com dados hidrográficos'e de XBX respectivamente). O balanço do transporte de volume, através de todas as secções entre 19 e 22º5, indica que a Corrente do Brasil flui através da passagem entre os bancos localizados mais próximos da costa. O transporte de volume resultante (2,9 Sv) é muito próximo do valor obtido através da secção ao largo de Cabo Frio, onde supõe-se que a extensão transversal da Corrente do Brasil foi delimitada pelo conjunto de observações.In April 1982, an océanographie investigation was conducted off the Brazilian coast in order to obtain the spatial characteristics of the thermal structure and to locate the Brazil Current flow both north and south of the seamount chain at 20º30'S. Dining the survey, remote sensing satellite data were also obtained on several occasions to assist in the delineation of the surface thermal structure. A 23ºC thermostad was observed along most sections. Along sections with stronger baroclinic signatures, such as the one in Cabo Frio, the thermostad seems to be pinched off somewhat similar to the pinching off the 18ºC water in the Gulf Stream North wall. The current structure and volume transports, relative to the 500 dbar isobaric surface, were calculated using both hydrographie station data and the closely spaced XBT measurements. A comparison of these results, for the data observed along the section of Cabo Frio, indicates that some details of the geostrophic currents are lost when the hydrographie data are used; the corresponding volume transports agree within 17% (33 Sv using hydrographie data against 2.8 Sv using XBT data). A volume transport budget, obtained through the transport computation along all sections between 19º and 22ºS, indicates that the Brazil Current appears to flow through the passage between the most inshore banks and not to the east. The net volume transport (2.9 Sv) is in close agreement with the Cabo Frio section volume transport, where the total flow of the Brazil Current was supposedly bracketed by the station sampling.