A STATISTICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE MEAN CIRCULATION AND EDDY VARIABILITY IN THE NORTHWESTERN ATLANTIC USING SOFAR FLOATS

Velocity data obtained from trajectories of SOFAR floats launched as part of several experiments carried out in the Northwest Atlantic during the last two decades are used to give a statistical description of the mean Gulf Stream and its recirculation. The distribution of eddy variability in the region is also presented. A mean Gulf Stream which bifurcates between 55-degrees and 45-degrees-W to feed the North Atlantic Current and a southern recirculation can be clearly identified. A weak interior Sverdrup flow is also suggested. The spatial distribution of eddy variability is consistent with previous descriptions, showing a maximum near the Gulf Stream.