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和分析海洋环流的关键任务。本文提出了一种混合涡旋探测方法，该方法结合海面高度（SSH）与速度场，并采用定义涡旋行为特征的几何准则。我们的方法搜索海洋学家预期位于涡旋中心的海面高度极小值和极大值。通过沿环绕每个涡旋中心的圆形路径追踪速度分量，利用几何准则验证预期的速度场属性（如净旋转与对称性）。由外向内进行逐层渐进搜索，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每个涡旋结构，有助于通过水平速度、垂直速度、温度及盐度实现涡旋内部结构的可视化。针对红海数据集，对Okubo-Weiss涡量（OW）阈值法、标准缠绕角法以及本文提出的SSH-速度混合法进行定量比较，结果表明探测结果高度依赖于方法、阈值和准则的选择。本文提出的SSH-速度混合探测方法具有以下优势：可提供具有已验证旋转特性的涡旋结构、实现物理性质内部结构的三维可视化，且无需计算流线即可快速高效估算涡旋足迹。该方法综合了内部结构可视化与整体运动追踪，支持研究对理解营养盐分布与海洋环流相互作用至关重要的输运机制。为展示其通用性，我们将该方法应用于三个不同数据集。