On the Dominant Flow in the Strait of Belle Isle

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Author: Bailey, W. B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1958
• Subjects: General Medicine; Belle Isle; Strait of Belle Isle; Labrador Sea
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f58-061; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f58-061

In addition to the usual tidal currents in the Strait of Belle Isle, there is, at times, a tendency for the current to set in one direction more than in the other. This over-balance of water movement in one direction is termed the element of dominant flow. The possible causes of this flow are attributed to meteorological factors and to others effecting long-period fluctuations in sea level.Very few extended oceanographic observations have been available to illustrate this phenomenon on a grand scale, particularly for a westerly flow. Observations taken in September 1955 illustrate a dominant westerly flow in considerable detail. This dominant flow was associated with the passage of an intense low pressure area (Hurricane Ione) from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Labrador Sea between September 21–23, 1955.