VELOCITY SHEAR IN THE STEPS BELOW THE MEDITERRANEAN OUTFLOW

Velocity gradients have been measured in the layered structures under the Mediterranean water in the Gulf of Cadiz using the free fall probe PROTAS. The profile of velocity shear exhibits the same regularity as the temperature and salinity profiles with peak values of the shear S2 ∼ 10-4 s-2 in the interfaces. By contrast the layers have low mean shear with S2 ∼ 10-5 s-2. Estimates of an interface Richardson number indicate that this parameter is of order unity and that the layers may therefore be only marginally stable. © 1979.