The Persian Gulf Water and Red Sea Water are salty and dense waters recirculating in the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Aden, in the form of small features. We study the life cycle of intense and small vortices and their impact on the spread of Persian Gulf Water and Red Sea Water by using idealized numerical simulations. Small vortices are generated along the continental slopes, drift away, merge and form larger vortices. They can travel across the domain and participate in the tracer diffusion.

The paper deals with the dynamics of an isolated vortex that evolves in a time-dependent strain environment. We establish parameters leading to parametric instability of stationary steady-state configuration using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques. Our findings may contribute to a deeper understanding of the coherent vortex dynamics in the ocean.