Eddy detection is a critical task for ocean scientists to understand and analyze ocean circulation. In this paper, we introduce a hybrid eddy detection approach that combines sea surface height (SSH) and velocity fields with geometric criteria defining eddy behavior. Our approach searches for SSH minima and maxima, which oceanographers expect to find at the center of eddies. Geometric criteria are used to verify expected velocity field properties, such as net rotation and symmetry, by tracing velocity components along a circular path surrounding each eddy center. Progressive searches outward and into deeper layers yield each eddy's 3D region of influence. Isolation of each eddy structure from the dataset, using it's cylindrical footprint, facilitates visualization of internal eddy structures using horizontal velocity, vertical velocity, temperature and salinity. A quantitative comparison of Okubo-Weiss vorticity (OW) thresholding, the standard winding angle, and this new SSH-velocity hybrid methods of eddy detection as applied to the Red Sea dataset suggests that detection results are highly dependent on the choices of method, thresholds, and criteria. Our new SSH-velocity hybrid detection approach has the advantages of providing eddy structures with verified rotation properties, 3D visualization of the internal structure of physical properties, and rapid efficient estimations of eddy footprints without calculating streamlines. Our approach combines visualization of internal structure and tracking overall movement to support the study of the transport mechanisms key to understanding the interaction of nutrient distribution and ocean circulation. Our method is applied to three different datasets to showcase the generality of its application.

翻译：涡旋探测是海洋科学家理解并分析大洋环流的关键任务。本文提出一种混合涡旋探测方法，该方法结合了海面高度（SSH）与流速场，并引入定义涡旋行为的几何准则。我们的方法通过搜索海面高度的极小值与极大值（海洋学家预期这些极值出现在涡旋中心位置），利用几何准则验证预期流速场属性（如净旋转与对称性），具体通过追踪绕每个涡旋中心圆形路径上的流速分量实现。通过向外及向深层逐级搜索，可确定每个涡旋的三维影响区域。利用涡旋的柱状足迹从数据集中分离出各涡旋结构，有助于通过水平流速、垂向流速、温度与盐度实现涡旋内部结构的可视化。对红海数据集应用奥库博-韦斯涡度阈值法、标准缠绕角法以及本文提出的SSH-流速混合方法的定量比较表明：探测结果高度依赖于方法、阈值与准则的选择。本文提出的SSH-流速混合探测法具有以下优势：提供具有已验证旋转属性的涡旋结构、实现物理属性内部结构的三维可视化、无需计算流线即可快速高效估算涡旋足迹。该方法将内部结构可视化与整体运动追踪相结合，有助于研究理解营养盐分布与海洋环流相互作用的关键输运机制。我们已将所提方法应用于三个不同数据集，以展示其通用性。