Retroflection of part of the east Greenland current at Cape Farewell

The east Greenland current (EGC) and the smaller eastGreenland coastal current (EGCC) provide the majorconduit for cold fresh polar water to enter the lowerlatitudes of the North Atlantic. They flow equatorwardthrough the western Irminger Basin and around CapeFarewell into the Labrador Sea. The surf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Holliday, NP, Meyer, A, Bacon, S, Alderson, SG, de Cuevas, B
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer Geophysical Union 2007
Subjects:
Earth Sciences
Oceanography
Physical Oceanography
Greenland
Irminger Basin
Cape Farewell
East Greenland
east greenland current
Labrador Sea
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL029085
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/125319
Description
Summary:The east Greenland current (EGC) and the smaller eastGreenland coastal current (EGCC) provide the majorconduit for cold fresh polar water to enter the lowerlatitudes of the North Atlantic. They flow equatorwardthrough the western Irminger Basin and around CapeFarewell into the Labrador Sea. The surface circulation andtransport of the Cape Farewell boundary current region insummer 2005 is described. The EGCC merges with Arcticwaters of the EGC to the south of Cape Farewell, formingthe west Greenland current. The EGC transport decreasesfrom 15.5 Sv south of Cape Farewell to 11.7 Sv in theeastern Labrador Sea (where the water becomes known asIrminger Sea Water). The decrease in EGC transport isbalanced by the retroflection of a substantial proportion ofthe boundary current (5.1 Sv) into the central IrmingerBasin; a new pathway for fresh water into the interior of thesubpolar gyre.

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