Water masses and circulation in the surface layers of the Caribbean at 66°W

A meridional hydrographic section was made in August-September 1997 at 66°W from the coast of Venezuela to Woods Hole aboard the R/V Knorr. In this report, we concentrate on near surface measurements in the Caribbean. The data show two distinct water masses with different origins. From approximately...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Hernandez-Guerra, A., Joyce, T. M.
Other Authors: 6701736545, 34975057000, BU-BAS
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 0094-8276 2000
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10553/47369
https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GL011230
Description
Summary:A meridional hydrographic section was made in August-September 1997 at 66°W from the coast of Venezuela to Woods Hole aboard the R/V Knorr. In this report, we concentrate on near surface measurements in the Caribbean. The data show two distinct water masses with different origins. From approximately 14°N to Puerto Rico, Caribbean Surface Water and Subtropical UnderWater with their source in the North Atlantic are found, as previously observed. From Venezuela to approximately 13°N, a less saline water mass with its source in the Tropics and South Atlantic is found. Within the southern portion of the section, two different velocity patterns are observed, namely, an eastward flow with a subsurface maximum near the coast of Venezuela, and a surface intensified westward jet with velocities of 130 cm s-1 in midbasin. 3500 3497 4