The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads
The North Atlantic Current is a well-defined western boundary current that flows north along the east side of the Grand Banks from 40° to 51°N, where it turns sharply to the east and begins its journey across the ocean. The current is unique in transporting warm tropical waters to much higher latitu...
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ftunivrhodeislan:oai:digitalcommons.uri.edu:gsofacpubs-3262 2024-02-11T10:05:56+01:00 The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads Rossby, T. 1996-01-01T08:00:00Z https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/2293 https://doi.org/10.1029/96RG02214 unknown DigitalCommons@URI https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/2293 doi:10.1029/96RG02214 https://doi.org/10.1029/96RG02214 Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications text 1996 ftunivrhodeislan https://doi.org/10.1029/96RG02214 2024-01-15T19:10:09Z The North Atlantic Current is a well-defined western boundary current that flows north along the east side of the Grand Banks from 40° to 51°N, where it turns sharply to the east and begins its journey across the ocean. The current is unique in transporting warm tropical waters to much higher latitudes than any other western boundary current and thus plays a crucial role in ameliorating the climate of the European subcontinent. The North Atlantic Current originates in the Gulf Stream when the latter curves north around the South-east Newfoundland Rise, a major submarine ridge that stretches SE from the Grand Banks. A well-defined front delineates the path of the current as long as it flows north as a western boundary current. After the current turns east in the north, it broadens into a widening band of eastward drift without a sharp or permanent front in the sense of the eastward flowing Gulf Stream after it separates from Cape Hatteras. The North Atlantic Current transports more than 40 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s-1) in the south and about 20 Sv by the time it flows east across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The currents along the northward flowing front are quite swift, with typical maximum average speeds in the upper 300 m near 1 m s-1 (= 2 knots). The current meanders almost as wildly as a "snaking" river, but unlike steep meanders in the Gulf Stream these meanders appear to be stable, and with one exception have not been observed to break off to form pools of warm and/or cold waters as frequently occurs in the Gulf Stream. The meanders appear to be induced by major topographic features along the path of the current, namely, the Southeast Newfoundland Rise, the Newfoundland Seamounts, and Flemish Cap. Strong recirculations develop on the concave side of the meanders. One of these, the "Mann eddy" at the first meander crest of the North Atlantic Current, should be regarded as a permanent feature of the North Atlantic circulation. Other meanders also contain recirculations that can persist for months. Under certain ... Text Newfoundland north atlantic current North Atlantic University of Rhode Island: DigitalCommons@URI Mid-Atlantic Ridge Reviews of Geophysics 34 4 463 481 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Rhode Island: DigitalCommons@URI |
op_collection_id |
ftunivrhodeislan |
language |
unknown |
description |
The North Atlantic Current is a well-defined western boundary current that flows north along the east side of the Grand Banks from 40° to 51°N, where it turns sharply to the east and begins its journey across the ocean. The current is unique in transporting warm tropical waters to much higher latitudes than any other western boundary current and thus plays a crucial role in ameliorating the climate of the European subcontinent. The North Atlantic Current originates in the Gulf Stream when the latter curves north around the South-east Newfoundland Rise, a major submarine ridge that stretches SE from the Grand Banks. A well-defined front delineates the path of the current as long as it flows north as a western boundary current. After the current turns east in the north, it broadens into a widening band of eastward drift without a sharp or permanent front in the sense of the eastward flowing Gulf Stream after it separates from Cape Hatteras. The North Atlantic Current transports more than 40 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s-1) in the south and about 20 Sv by the time it flows east across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The currents along the northward flowing front are quite swift, with typical maximum average speeds in the upper 300 m near 1 m s-1 (= 2 knots). The current meanders almost as wildly as a "snaking" river, but unlike steep meanders in the Gulf Stream these meanders appear to be stable, and with one exception have not been observed to break off to form pools of warm and/or cold waters as frequently occurs in the Gulf Stream. The meanders appear to be induced by major topographic features along the path of the current, namely, the Southeast Newfoundland Rise, the Newfoundland Seamounts, and Flemish Cap. Strong recirculations develop on the concave side of the meanders. One of these, the "Mann eddy" at the first meander crest of the North Atlantic Current, should be regarded as a permanent feature of the North Atlantic circulation. Other meanders also contain recirculations that can persist for months. Under certain ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Rossby, T. |
spellingShingle |
Rossby, T. The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads |
author_facet |
Rossby, T. |
author_sort |
Rossby, T. |
title |
The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads |
title_short |
The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads |
title_full |
The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads |
title_fullStr |
The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads |
title_full_unstemmed |
The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads |
title_sort |
north atlantic current and surrounding waters: at the crossroads |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@URI |
publishDate |
1996 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/2293 https://doi.org/10.1029/96RG02214 |
geographic |
Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
geographic_facet |
Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
genre |
Newfoundland north atlantic current North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland north atlantic current North Atlantic |
op_source |
Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/2293 doi:10.1029/96RG02214 https://doi.org/10.1029/96RG02214 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/96RG02214 |
container_title |
Reviews of Geophysics |
container_volume |
34 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
463 |
op_container_end_page |
481 |
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1790603294469521408 |