We also demonstrate how we can use synoptic maps to delineate different water masses in coastal margins. These examples involve quasi-continuous observations of salinity taken along ferry routes.
A third application is the synchronization of measurements between fixed stations and nearby moving platforms. Both observational platforms often see the same water body, but at different times.
We demonstrate how the measurements from a fixed platform can be synchronized to measurements from a moving platform by taking into account simulation-based time shifts. In situ observations from FerryBoxes installed on ships of opportunity provide measurements for a large number of different parameters with high temporal resolution. In this study, we address a couple of examples that refer to FerryBox observations in the southern North Sea ( Petersen, 2014). Localized in situ observations are, however, only limited snapshots of an ongoing evolution of water masses, ranging from the large-scale ocean circulation on the order of years ( Sheehan et al., 2017) to the smaller meso- and submeso-scale structures ( Oka et al., 2014 Schubert et al., 2019). Proper interpretation of oceanographic measurements often requires knowledge about the origin and history of the regional water masses. Naturally, this would be analyzed within a Lagrangian framework. In this study, we demonstrate the usefulness of such an approach with three examples. High-quality quasi-continuous data being available along frequent 1D ship transects entails a certain imbalance between high temporal resolution on one hand and low spatial coverage in a 2D domain on the other. Satellite pictures might be employed to achieve some spatial extrapolation. Another kind of complementary information are hydrodynamic currents derived from high-frequency radar observations, altimetry, or numerical models. Based on such current fields, the Lagrangian approach follows the pathways of individual water parcels. Integrating tracer trajectories back in time provides information on an analyzed water parcel's origin.
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