Finite time coherent sets [8] have recently been defined by a measure based
objective function describing the degree that sets hold together, along with a
Frobenius-Perron transfer operator method to produce optimally coherent sets.
Here we present an extension to generalize the concept to hierarchially defined
relatively coherent sets based on adjusting the finite time coherent sets to
use relative mesure restricted to sets which are developed iteratively and
hierarchically in a tree of partitions. Several examples help clarify the
meaning and expectation of the techniques, as they are the nonautonomous double
gyre, the standard map, an idealized stratospheric flow, and empirical data
from the Mexico Gulf during the 2010 oil spill. Also for sake of analysis of
computational complexity, we include an appendic concerning the computational
complexity of developing the Ulam-Galerkin matrix extimates of the
Frobenius-Perron operator centrally used here
