Solitonlike solutions in loop current eddies

Abstract

The application of the nonlinear quasi-geostrophic equations to an isolated eddy in the western continental slope region in the Gulf of Mexico is examined for a two-layer ocean model with bottom topography. In the linear limit, solutions are topographic nondispersive waves. Form-preserving solutions, or solitons, have been found. The solution is shown to be a limiting form for a nonlinear dispersive system propagating northward along the topographic waveguide in the western continental slope region in the Gulf of Mexico. Using satellite-tracked drifter data, a linear relationship is found between the amplitude of the deduced stream function of the eddy and its observed translational velocity over the continental slope, which supports the hypothesis that some mesoscale eddies interacting with the continental slope behave as solitons.