Using Lagrangian Coherent Structures To Identify Surface Oil Pathways In the Northern Gulf of Mexico

High frequency radar (HFR) can be used to predict particle trajectories in coastal surface waters; while HFR data has numerous applications, the need to track pollutant dispersal has special significance to coastal communities as well as researchers. This preliminary analysis explores the steps involved in calculating Lagrangian coherent structures for the Mississippi Bight using HFR datasets. Equipment malfunction and environmental interference cause fluctuations in the area covered by the HFRs, so the interpolation method 2dVar was used to provide spatially consistent velocity maps needed for LCS analysis. We ran a series of trials to examine which time steps and spatial scales are relevant to determining LCS for the period of May through July 2010; the chosen timeframe followed the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Since LCS serve to explain patterns in circulation dynamics, evaluating the HFR data for this period could explain surface oil dispersal near the northern Gulf coast