Eddies play a central role in the dynamics of ocean currents. They are involved in mixing processes or can act as incubators for algae blooms, as they trap, for example, nutrients, thus bringing optimal conditions for algae blooms. As algae blooms occur in the Baltic Sea regularly, we are interested in identifying eddies, tracking them and estimating their lifetime. We use certain features of the flow to define the eddy. These can be referred to as organizing structures of the flow and have either attracting (collecting) properties or repelling (separating) properties. The collecting properties are used to determine eddy cores. The separating properties are used to define eddy boundaries.

The aim is to answer the question whether and how eddies affect algae blooms in the Baltic Sea.