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A Sharp Turn

July 27, 2014

Scientists Amy Bower of WHOI and Susan Lozier of Duke University have used RAFOS floats to investigate the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC), a deep current that hugs North America’s continental slope, transporting cold waters south from the North Atlantic. The floats drifted and collected measurements for two years. Their data produced a surprising finding: About 75 percent of the floats drifted out of the DWBC and into the open ocean before rounding the Grand Banks. The research provides greater understanding of global ocean circulation and its impacts on Earth’s climate. (Illustration by Eric S. Taylor, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)