Near-Surface Transport Pathways in the North Atlantic Ocean: Looking for Throughput from the Subtropical to the Subpolar Gyre

• DOI: 10.1175/2011jpo4498.1
• Publication Date: 2011-01-24T16:09:16Z
• Authors: Irina I. Rypina; Lawrence J. Pratt; M. Susan Lozier
• Keywords: Drifter; Gulf Stream; Subtropical front

Abstract Motivated by discrepancies between Eulerian transport estimates and the behavior of Lagrangian surface drifters, near-surface pathways processes in North Atlantic are studied using a combination data, altimetric heights, statistical analysis trajectories, dynamical systems techniques. Particular attention is paid to issue subtropical-to-subpolar intergyre fluid exchange. The velocity field used this study composed steady drifter-derived background flow, upon which time-dependent altimeter-based perturbation superimposed. This suggests that most entering subpolar gyre from subtropical within two years comes narrow region lying inshore Gulf Stream core, whereas on offshore side largely prevented doing so acts as strong barrier, agreement with past studies. barrier near core robust persistent 1992 until 2008. qualitative found be independent Ekman drift.