Isothermal temperatures and transformations of the warm-core eddies in the western Tasman Sea

Abstract

Warm-core eddies off the eastern coast of Australia are characterized by their isothermal core temperatures. For coastal eddies, core temperatures correlate with the latitude of the eddy at the end of winter. The isothermal temperature is used to identify and track eddies. Eddy positions from 1976 to 1981 have been charted to show patterns in their formation, drift and interactions with other eddies and the East Australian Current. To date, eddies have been named alphabetically in an ad hoc way that has caused confusion because of the unexpected behaviour of some eddies. To overcome this, a systematic way of naming eddies is suggested, which takes into account the eddy's history.