Dynamics of the slope water off New England and its influence on the Gulf Stream as inferred from satellite IR data

Quanan Zheng, V. Klemas, Norden E. Huang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

The movements of warm core rings and the Gulf Stream front were studied in the New England slope water region by using both satellite IR data and available in situ sea surface temperature data. It is found that: (1) the rotating speed of the rings exhibits a marked seasonal variation with the maximum speed occurring in the winter and the minimum in the late fall; (2) the surface area of the rings increases monotonically with time; and (3) the Gulf Stream front at the north wall migrates seasonally and attains its northernmost position in the late fall. Based on these findings we calculated the horizontal eddy viscosity for the rings as 4 × 108 cm2 5. Furthermore, by comparing the seasonal variations of the rotational velocity of the rings and the total mass transport of the Gulf Stream, we suggest that the seasonal variation of the slope water hydrography through local air-sea interactions could play an important role in the dynamics of the Gulf Stream system.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)135-153
Number of pages19
JournalRemote Sensing of Environment
Volume15
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1984

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