A three-layer model of hydrodynamic processes in the Cyprus Eddy system

Abstract

A three-layer quasi-geostrophic model was developed to examine the topographic eddies generated around the Eratosthenes Seamount in the southeastern Levantine basin, particularly the dipolar vortex structure, consisting of the anticyclonic Cyprus Eddy and a smaller-scale cyclone. The numerical experiments were carried out using the Contour Dynamics Method, imposing an eastward flow with different inclinations and intensities along the western boundary of the model domain to imitate the Mid-Mediterranean Jet. The dual nature of topographic eddies was previously reported to be generated frequently in a homogeneous ocean approximation, but in the current study, the consideration of baroclinicity primarily simulated a single vortex attributed to the Cyprus Eddy with the small-scale cyclone to be generated occasionally. Also, it was demonstrated that the direction and intensity of the imposed eastward flow along the western boundary of the model domain are the main factors in the formation of the cyclonic vortex. The modeling results showed a qualitative agreement with the geostrophic patterns derived from in-situ observations in the wider sea area of the Eratosthenes Seamount.