The Gulf Stream Justin Shapiro Image Courtesy of Benjamin Franklin. (He had it just about right) ...
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Transcript of The Gulf Stream Justin Shapiro Image Courtesy of Benjamin Franklin. (He had it just about right) ...
The Gulf StreamThe Gulf Stream
Justin ShapiroJustin Shapiro
Image Courtesy
of Benjamin Franklin. (He had it just about
right)http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/
temple/images/gulf_stream.gif
LocationWestern Boundary of the North Atlantic Ocean
Sources: Caribbean Sea, Antilles Current
Sharp Transition zone between cold, dense water (Laborador) and warm, less dense water.
Transport: Heat
Heat: 1.4 petawatts of heat
In conjunction with the Hadley Circulation, this heat transport moderates the climate of Europe.
Some argue that the atmosphere plays a larger role here: Mid-latitude Cyclones
Transport: WaterVolume:
Through Florida Straights: 30 Sv
Max. Trans. At 55W: 150 Sv
Transport Increases due to mass contributions from the Worthington Gyre and the Northern Recirculation Gyre
Downstream of Cape Hatteras, Transport Increases by ~8Sv/100km
QuickTime™ and aCinepak decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Topographical Image: oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/img_topo1/gulf-stream2.jpg
Gulf Stream’s Sink
Near 38N 44W: Flow Diverges
Toward Mid-Atlantic Ridge:
Azores Current (cold)(southward)
Following north along the continental slope
North Atlantic Current (warm)(Eastward)
Time Variant Structure
Large Values of Eddy Kinetic Energy at Labrador/Gulf Stream Interface
~22 Warm Core and 35 Cold core rings are shed: features persist from weeks to a year!
Wanders much like a wriggling garden hose
Reference
• HYCOM Consortium, Live Access Data Server, http://hycom.coaps.fsu.edu/thredds/dodsC/atl_ops.html
• Joanna Gyory, Arthur J. Mariano, Edward H. Ryan. "The Gulf Stream." Ocean Surface Currents. http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/gulf-stream.html.
• Lee, Hoyle, “A Gulf Stream Synthetic Geoid for the TOPEX Altimeter,” 1997.