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Deep Western Boundary Current
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Project Summary
co-PIs: Amy Bower (WHOI), Robert Pickart (WHOI) and William Smethie (LDEO)
In this study, hydrography, tracer measurements and float observations
were combined to obtain the first comprehensive description of the North
Atlantic Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) variability over a large path
segment. The hydrographic portion consisted of two occupations (six months
apart) of six finely resolved sections across the DWBC from the Grand Banks
of Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras. Over this distance (roughly 1700 km) the
DWBC encounters diverse conditions, including variations in bottom slope
and roughness, as well as proximity to the Gulf Stream. The main objectives
of the hydrographic study were to determine the synoptic velocity and water
mass structure of the DWBC in order to investigate the nature and cause of
the observed variability. Lagrangian RAFOS floats were launched at
different locations in the DWBC during the hydrographic cruises and
tracked for two years. The main objectives of the Lagrangian study were to
determine fluid parcel pathways in the DWBC and identify regions of
exchange with the interior. A total of 30 floats were launched, half in the
upper chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) maximum associated with Upper Labrador Sea
Water (~800 meters) and half near the deep CFC maximum associated with
Denmark Straits Overflow Water (~3000 meters).
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Manuscripts
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Bower, A. S. and H. D. Hunt, 2000.
Lagrangian observations of the Deep Western Boundary Current in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Part I: Large-scale pathways and spreading rates.
Journal of Physical Oceanography, Vol. 30, pp. 764-783. |
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Bower, A. S. and H. D. Hunt, 2000.
Lagrangian observations of the Deep Western Boundary Current in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Part II: The Gulf Stream-Deep Western Boundary Current crossover.
Journal of Physical Oceanography, Vol. 30, pp. 784-804. |
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Technical Reports
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Hunt, H. D. and A. S. Bower, 1998.
Boundary Current Experiment I & II RAFOS Float Data Report 1994-1997.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Technical Memorandum WHOI-98-06, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 105 pp. |
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Data Sets
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