Measured Flow in St. Vincent and Grenada Passages in 1977.
Abstract
Between January and November 1977 flow was measured with ten current meters in St. Vincent and Grenada Passages. Mean scalar speeds exceeded 23 cm/sec at all instruments and flow was predominantly westward. Subinertial variability calculated using wide band (0.0156 CHP) spectral estimates was large, amounting to 14%-77% of the individual record variances. All records showed changes in low frequency flow, such as abrupt changes in direction, stagnation (period of low flow), or 360 deg rotations in direction. Spectra showed peaks near 12-13 days in near-bottom records from St. Vincent passage, and peaks between 20 and 70 days in the other records. Strong tidal signals were also found in the velocity records. Between 15% and 74% of the individual record variances were in diurnal, semidiurnal, or harmonic frequency bands. The semidiurnal frequency band contained from 11% - 67% of the record variances. Tidal harmonics were also clearly evident, especially at the two near-bottom instruments deployed sequentially in St. Vincent Passage, where the first five harmonics of the semi-diurnal frequency accounted for 27% - 35% of the variance. Each instrument recorded temperature, and most of the individual record variance was either subinertial (8% - 86%) or semidiurnal (4% - 82%). Together, these frequency bands accounted for 69% of the variance. Tidal harmonics accounted for 2% - 25% of the temperature variance. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA098905
Entities
People
- Donald A. Burns
- Paul A. Mazeika
- Thomas A. Kinder