Rotationally coherent Lagrangian vortices are formed by tubes of deforming fluid elements that complete equal bulk material rotation relative to the mean rotation of the deforming fluid volume. We show that the initial positions of such tubes coincide with tubular level surfaces of the Lagrangian-averaged vorticity deviation (LAVD), the trajectory integral of the normed difference of the vorticity from its spatial mean. The LAVD-based vortices are objective, i.e. remain unchanged under time-dependent rotations and translations of the coordinate frame. In the limit of vanishing Rossby numbers in geostrophic flows, cyclonic LAVD vortex centres are precisely the observed attractors for light particles. A similar result holds for heavy particles in anticyclonic LAVD vortices. We also establish a relationship between rotationally coherent Lagrangian vortices and their instantaneous Eulerian counterparts. The latter are formed by tubular surfaces of equal material rotation rate, objectively measured by the instantaneous vorticity deviation (IVD). We illustrate the use of the LAVD and the IVD to detect rotationally coherent Lagrangian and Eulerian vortices objectively in several two-and three-dimensional flows.

We give an algorithmic introduction to Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) using a newly developed computational engine, LCS Tool. LCSs are most repelling, attracting and shearing material lines that form the centerpieces of observed tracer patterns in two-dimensional unsteady dynamical systems. LCS Tool implements the latest geodesic theory of LCSs for two-dimensional flows, uncovering key transport barriers in unsteady flow velocity data as explicit solutions of differential equations. After a review of the underlying theory, we explain the steps and numerical methods used by LCS Tool, and illustrate its capabilities on three unsteady fluid flow examples.

Coherent boundaries of Lagrangian vortices in fluid flows have recently been identified as closed orbits of line fields associated with the Cauchy-Green strain tensor. Here, we develop a fully automated procedure for the detection of such closed orbits in largescale velocity datasets. We illustrate the power of our method on ocean surface velocities derived from satellite altimetry.

We report the experimental observation of Richardson dispersion and a double cascade in a thin horizontal fluid flow induced by Faraday waves. The energy spectra and the mean spectral energy flux obtained from particle image velocimetry data suggest an inverse energy cascade with Kolmogorov type scaling E(k) ∝ k(γ), γ ≈ -5/3 and an E(k) ∝ k(γ), γ ≈ -3 enstrophy cascade. Particle transport is studied analyzing absolute and relative dispersion as well as the finite size Lyapunov exponent (FSLE) via the direct tracking of real particles and numerical advection of virtual particles. Richardson dispersion with <ΔR(2)(t)> ∝ t(3) is observed and is also reflected in the slopes of the FSLE (Λ ∝ ΔR(-2/3)) for virtual and real particles.

Based on ten years (1998–2007) of satellite ocean color data we analyze the spatiotemporal patterns in the seasonal Madagascar plankton bloom with respect to the advection of the recently discovered Southern Indian Ocean Countercurrent (SICC). In maps of Finite‐time Lyapunov Exponents (FTLE) and Finite‐Time Zonal Drift (FTZD) computed from altimetry derived velocities we observe a narrow zonal jet that starts at ∼25°S at the southern tip of Madagascar, an important upwelling region, and extends to the east further than the largest plankton blooms (∼2500 km). In bloom years, the jet coincides with large parts of the northern boundary of the plankton bloom, acting as a barrier to meridional transport. Our findings suggest that advection is an important and so far underestimated mechanism for the eastward propagation and the extent of the plankton bloom. This supports the hypothesis of a single nutrient source south of Madagascar.