Relative dispersion and kinematic properties of the coastal submesoscale circulation in the southeastern Ligurian Sea

Abstract. An array of Lagrangian instruments (more than 100 drifters and a profiling float) was deployed for several days in the coastal waters of the southeastern Ligurian Sea to characterize the near-surface circulation at the submesoscale (< 10 km). The drifters were trapped in an offshore-flowing filament and a cyclonic eddy that developed at the southwestern extremity of the filament. Drifter velocities are used to estimate differential kinematic properties (DKPs) and the relative dispersion of the near-surface currents on scales as small as 100 m. The maximum drifter speed is ~50 cm/s. The DKPs within the cluster exhibit considerable spatial and temporal variability, with absolute values reaching the order of magnitude of the local inertial frequency. Vorticity prevails in the core of the cyclonic eddy, while strain is dominant at the outer edge of the eddy. Significant convergence was also found in the southwestern flow of the filament. The initial relative dispersion on small scales (100–200 m) is directly related to some of the DKPs (e.g., divergence, strain and instantaneous rate of separation): The mean squared separation distance (MSSD) grows exponentially with time and the finite-size Lyapunov exponent (FSLE) is independent of scale. After 5–10 h of drift or for initial separations greater than 500 m, the MSSD and FSLE show smaller relative dispersion that decreases slightly with scale.