Transient Response of the Gulf Stream to Multiple Hurricanes in 2017
Abstract
Autonomous underwater glider observations collected during and after 2017 Hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Maria show two types of transient response within the Gulf Stream. First, anomalously fresh water observed near the surface and within the core of the Gulf Stream offshore of the Carolinas likely resulted from Irma's rainfall being entrained into the Loop Current‐Gulf Stream system. Second, Gulf Stream volume transport was reduced by as much as 40% for about 2 weeks following Jose and Maria. The transport reduction had both barotropic and depth‐dependent characteristics. Correlations between transport through the Florida Straits and reanalysis winds suggest that both local winds in the Florida Straits and winds over the Gulf Stream farther downstream may have contributed to the transport reduction. To clarify the underlying dynamics, additional analyses using numerical models that capture the Gulf Stream's transient response to multiple tropical cyclones passing nearby in a short period are needed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Oct 04, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1029/2018gl079180
Entities
People
- John M. Bane
- Joleen Heiderich
- Rick Luettich
- Robert E. Todd
- Taylor G. Asher
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution