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This study undertakes a detailed comparison of different methods used for detecting and tracking oceanic jets in the Southern Ocean. The methods under consideration are the gradient thresholding method, the probability density function (PDF) method, and the contour method. Some weaknesses of the gradient thresholding method are discussed and an enhancement (the WHOSE method), based on techniques from signal processing, is proposed. The WHOSE method is then compared to the other three methods. Quantitative comparison is undertaken using synthetic sea-surface height fields. The WHOSE method and the contour method are found to perform well even in the presence of a strong eddy field. In contrast, the standard gradient thresholding and PDF methods only perform well in high signal-to-noise ratio situations. The WHOSE, PDF, and the contour methods are then applied to data from the eddy-resolving Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator. While the three methods are in broad agreement on the location of the main ACC jets, the nature of the jet fields they produce differ. In particular, the WHOSE method reveals a fine-scale jet field with complex braiding behavior. It is argued that this fine-scale jet field may affect the calculation of eddy diffusivities. Finally, recommendations based on this study are made. The WHOSE and gradient thresholding methods are more suitable for the study of jets as localized strong currents, useful for studies of tracer fluxes. The contour and PDF methods are recommended for studies linking jets to hydrographic fronts. Key Points Different methods for detecting ACC jets reveal differing jet structures Methods from signal processing can improve jet detection techniques Some methods fail in the presence of strong eddy fields.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Antarctic Circumpolar Current; fronts; jets; Southern Ocean; wavelets; Jets; Ocean currents; Probability density function; Signal processing; Antarctic Circumpolar Currents; fronts; High signal-to-noise ratio; Ocean general circulation models; eddy
Research Division:	Earth Sciences
Research Group:	Oceanography
Research Field:	Physical oceanography
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Marine systems and management
Objective Field:	Oceanic processes (excl. in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean)
UTAS Author:	Chapman, CC (Mr Chris Chapman)
ID Code:	119551
Year Published:	2014
Web of Science® Times Cited:	21
Deposited By:	Fisheries and Aquaculture
Deposited On:	2017-08-02
Last Modified:	2017-10-16
Downloads:	146 View Download Statistics